Together, Oxford University’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) welcomed 3,816,898 people in 2025 compared to 3,559,109 in 2024.

This is the highest number of visitors on record and represents a seven per cent increase year-on-year, outperforming ALVA’s UK-wide average figure of two per cent.

GLAM is made up of four museums – the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, History of Science Museum, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and Pitt Rivers Museum, as well as the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum, and the Bodleian Libraries.

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The Ashmolean Museum (Image: Oxford Mail)

Out of 400 organisations which submitted data, four GLAM venues were among ALVA’s top 100 most visited attractions in 2024.

The Ashmolean Museum secured its highest ever ranking at number 31 and is now the most popular visitor attraction in Oxfordshire.

The Bodleian Libraries and Oxford University Museum of Natural History placed 37th and 40th respectively, both equalling their highest ranking.

The Pitt Rivers Museum was 85th following two years of exceptional visitor growth.

Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum ranked at number 188, and the History of Science Museum at 205.

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The Museum of Natural History in Oxford (Image: Nat An)

Richard Ovenden OBE, head of Oxford’s gardens, libraries and museums, said: “This latest increase in ALVA visitor figures not only reflects the popularity of the University’s unique venues and the rich treasures contained in them but also demonstrates how our GLAM teams truly understand how to attract, include, engage and interact with our visitors, whether from our local communities or across the globe.

“With an exciting programme of exhibitions, displays and events scheduled for this year, we look forward to welcoming even more visitors to our gardens, libraries and museums and continue to enjoy sharing the stories behind our collections with them.”

Radiohead held an exhibition at the Ashmolean (Image: Julian Broad/Ashmolean Museum/PA)

In 2025, the Ashmolean Museum held its hugely popular music exhibition, This Is What You Get: Stanley Donwood/Thom Yorke/Radiohead, inspired by the local band.

The Ashmolean’s visitors increased by 14 per cent in 2025 to 1,072,267, its highest figure since 2010 and the first time the Museum has achieved one million visitors since reopening in 2009.

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The Duke Humfrey’s Library in Oxford, one of the Bodleian Libraries. (Image: David Iliff)

The Bodleian Libraries were enjoyed by 929,403 visitors in 2025, up seven per cent on the year.

The History of Science Museum saw a nine per cent boost in visitors through their doors in 2025, totalling 195,002 – a remarkable 31 per cent increase on their pre-pandemic 2019 figure.

The Museum of Natural History greeted 877,437 visitors last year, over 50,000 more visitors than in 2024 and its highest figure ever.

Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum welcomed 222,837, while the Pitt Rivers Museum again broke through the half-million mark first achieved in 2024 by recording 519, 952, a two per cent rise on last year and its highest visitor count ever.

Langtree School in Reading Road, Woodcote, had to put in ‘temporary arrangements’ for pupils to keep learning on-site as parts of the school estate have had to be closed.

Freddie van Mierlo MP visited the school following a meeting with its representatives in Parliament to discuss the building damage, and said he was ‘shocked’ by the situation.

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The Henley and Thame MP said: “It was a great to follow up a recent Langtree’s visit to Parliament with a return meeting at the school in Woodcote.

Freddie van Mierlo and headteacher Mr Bamford at Langtree School (Image: Contributed)

“I was shocked to see the full extent of the roof damage they had described to me in Westminster Hall.

“With fallen masonry strewn across a classroom formerly used as a drama studio it was clear to me that teachers were right to act quickly and close off a large proportion of the school.

“They desperately need the funding now to fix the issue of crumbling concrete.”

As well as the drama studio, the school’s staff room is among the ‘key spaces’ which are no longer accessible, and day-to-day teaching and learning has had to be relocated on the site.

Freddie van Mierlo MP (left) investigating the damage with headteacher Mr Bamford (Image: Contributed)

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Mr van Mierlo added: “I was also struck by the professionalism of the staff in handling a difficult situation in accommodating classes in other parts of the school.

“The loss of the staff room must be a real blow to morale and wellbeing. I think we can all understand the need for teachers to have their own space to retreat to with a cup of tea during the day.

“I have given the school my full support in their bid for funding from the Department for Education.

“I know that after more than ten years of Tory cuts competition for capital funding is fierce but there can scarcely be a more important investment than our children’s futures.”

Langtree School was previously a community school but became an academy in 2012.

It now has around 50 teachers educating more than 600 boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 16.

The site was previously closed on two occasions last year for ’emergency building work’, in both November and December, though no further reason was given for these closures and it is not known if the ongoing building damage is related.

The school has been approached for comment.

Thames Valley Police said that they today (Tuesday, March 31) located the man, who the force has not named, and who was wanted for failing to appear at crown court.

He was taken into custody and appeared at the Oxford court later that afternoon.

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A spokesperson for the rural crime taskforce said: “PC Gurney and PC Barnes have had a productive day, locating a male that was wanted for a fail to appear crown court warrant.

“He was booked into custody before being sent for an afternoon slot in Oxford today. ”

Police have caught the wanted man (Image: NQ)

In addition the unit seized a vehicle in Banbury after they spotted the motorist making some “fancy sign language” to another driver.

Having pulled the motorist over they discovered he did not have insurance and so seized his vehicle and reported the offence.

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The spokesperson added: “A vehicle then came to their attention in Banbury due to the driver making some fancy sign language to another driver.

“They stopped this vehicle for a chat only to find out he did not have insurance, so his vehicle has been seized and he was reported for the offence of driving without insurance.”

PC Gurney was previously involved in seizing a vehicle being driven in Banbury on March 19.

In that instance the vehicle was seized as the driver did not hold a valid licence.