Durham and Bradford Cathedrals have announced record-breaking visitor numbers this year.
Bradford is reporting a bumper year for visitors thanks to the city’s status as UK City of Culture as the cathedral organised a wide range of extra events and tours centred on its theme, Weaving Stories, which saw a large weaving loom installed in the cathedral for visitors to help create a legacy tapestry to mark this special year.
Durham Cathedral has also seen its highest-ever attendance this year as people came to see three rare Magna Cartas – with the last week of the exhibition being the busiest the Museum has ever seen.
From 11 July to 2 November, Durham Museum welcomed almost 30,000 visitors, more than 40% above the predicted visitor figures.
The last week of the exhibition, which also coincided with October half term, saw a record-breaking number of visitors to the Museum since it opened in 2016, with over 2,500 people coming to see the documents before the exhibition ended.
In Bradford, the number of ‘drop-in’ visitors to the Cathedral has more than doubled that of any previous year since visitor records began.
Bradford’s Director of Education and Visitors, Maggie Myers said,
“We are delighted that so many thousands of people have come through the Cathedral’s doors in 2025, for such a variety of reasons and from so many different parts of the country and the world!
“We’ve recorded visitors from all over Britain and from at least 36 other countries. These are just the people who have written comments in the Visitors’ Book or interacted with our welcome team, so we know the real figure will be much higher. “
The Revd Ned Lunn, Canon for Intercultural Mission and the Arts at Bradford Cathedral said, ‘The ‘Weaving Stories’ project has been a cornerstone of our 2025 programme, inviting visitors to contribute to a tapestry that reflects Bradford’s rich heritage and diverse community.
“This initiative, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, has complemented other major events at the Cathedral, such as the ‘Holocene’ performance during the New Music Biennial, which reimagined the contemporary brass ensemble with a bold and unconventional work exploring our current geological epoch. Additionally, the launch of the Cathedrals Cycle Relay from Bradford Cathedral in May marked a significant moment in our city’s cultural calendar. These events, alongside our regular tours, exhibitions, and concerts, have made 2025 a truly exceptional year for Bradford Cathedral, drawing visitors from across the globe and showcasing the vibrant tapestry of our city’s cultural life.’
Andrew Usher, Chief Officer: Visitor Experience and Enterprise at Durham Cathedral said,
“It’s been wonderful to see the public interest in the Magna Cartas on display. The exhibition celebrated the 800th anniversary of the 1225 issue and, showing this alongside our 1300 issue and the only surviving 1225 issue, has brought people out in their droves.
We definitely got the message out there that these are very rare documents from our collection and that the opportunity to see them only comes around every 8 years or so!
‘The last week of the exhibition alone certainly proved that as people did not want to miss their chance to see a part of global history right here in the North East.”
The story of the documents was also brought to life with a number of contemporary artworks and interactive installations throughout the cathedral, which also engaged thousands more cathedral visitors throughout the run of the Magna Carta and the North exhibition.
The last time the Magna Cartas and the Forest Charters were on display at Durham Cathedral was in the summer of 2017 when almost 19,000 people came to see them over an 11-week period.
Durham Cathedral has an extensive medieval archive and the Magna Cartas and Forest Charters are some of the most remarkable documents within it. They have now gone back into storage to be carefully looked after as they have been for the last 800 years,
Elements of the Magna Carta and The North exhibition can still be viewed online, including how these rare documents are cared for whilst not on display to the public.
