Visitor surge as record-breaking plane goes on display
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A museum has seen the number of visitors surge after a record-breaking plane became part of its collection.
Bluebird K7 was the plane in which Donald Campbell set seven water-speed world records, before tragically dying during a further attempt on Coniston Water in Cumbria in 1967.
The hydroplane's wreckage was recovered in 2001 and rebuilt by Tyneside engineer Bill Smith. Following a legal battle, it returned to Coniston last month.
The plane's new home at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston attracted 6,000 visitors last month - up from 1,900 in March and April the year before.
Tracy Hodgson, director at the museum in Coniston, said the boost in visitor numbers had been "fantastic".
“I thought there would be a rush of people wanting to come and see her, but I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting the kind of figures that we’ve had.
"It’s absolutely fantastic.”
The plane, which returned to Coniston village after 23 years, is on display in the museum's Bluebird Wing.
Ms Hodgson said people had been queuing out of the museum's door to see it, with a lot of visitors recalling Mr Campbell's fatal crash.
"Generally, I think people visit Coniston to come walking or go to the lake, but now they are coming to see Bluebird - they’re coming to see K7, there’s no doubt about that.
“When they come to Coniston they do a full 'pilgrimage': they go and visit Donald’s grave, they go down to the lake to see where he did his records - so it’s a full experience for them.”
Around 6,000 people visited the Ruskin Museum in March, more than three times the number seen across both March and April 2023, despite the venue being closed for 10 days last month to allow for the installation of the plane.
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