Dinosaurs make a charge

The Natural History Museum is set to reintroduce admission charges for visitors.

The move comes three years after paid entry was scrapped at many of London's great museums - including the V&A, the Imperial War Museum and the Museum of London - a policy that saw up to a threefold increase in visitors.

The Government provided grants to replace the lost income from admissions. However, the Natural History Museum claims it needs more - up to £5 million a year.

The South Kensington landmark, built in 1881, attracts more than three million visitors a year and is the country's fifth most popular tourist attraction after Blackpool Pleasure Beach, the Tate Modern, the British Museum and the National Gallery.

Now its director, Sir Neil Chalmers, has said he may have no choice but to start charging once more.

Sir Neil said that the £38 million in annual grants that the museum currently receives is too low and is jeopardising its ability to maintain its " worldclass" facilities.

He said: "Realistically we need an extra £3-5 million in funding from the Government every year and, if that is not forthcoming, it may mean that we have to reconsider our free admission policy.

"Obviously that would be very disappointing, and would almost certainly have an impact on visitor numbers, but without more money we cannot continue to maintain the building, stage the same quality of exhibitions, continue our research and maintain the collections.

"Our funding has been gradually eroded and, in real terms, we have lost about five per cent of our income in the last couple of years."

With the Treasury's spending review under way and an announcement due this July, museums are trying to up the pressure on Government to increase their funding.

However, it seems likely that any move to block free admission will lead to a reduction, not a boost, in funding.

A spokesman for the Department of Media, Culture and Sport last night reacted to Sir Neil's comments by saying: "The Government takes the view that free admission is a central plank of our cultural policy.