The museum, which is based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, pulled in 504,000 visitors in 2012.

This marks a rise of 4.8% on the previous year, according to figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).

The NMM’s head of collections and exhibitions, Michael Terwey, told Amateur Photographer that he was delighted by the news.

‘The success of our summer exhibition, In the Blink of an Eye: Media and Movement – which drew heavily on the National Collection of Photography and formed part of the Cultural Olympiad – was particularly gratifying, with almost 70,000 visitors.’

The NMM’s discovery of the ‘earliest colour moving footage’, along with experimental screenings of new television technology, also pulled in large crowds, he added.

The museum is home to the Royal Photographic Society collection and the earliest surviving negative created by British photography pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot.

Last October, the NMM announced a spending review as part of a restructure designed to cut running costs.

At the time, the museum said it wanted to improve its public exhibition, events and cinema programme, to appeal to a wider audience, support its status as a national museum and increase access to its historic collections.

At its peak, in 2001, the NMM attracted almost one million visitors.

In 2006, the NMM changed its name from the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in a move designed to embrace radio and the internet.

The British Museum in London was the most visited UK venue in 2012, drawing more than 5.5 million visitors.

The ALVA’s statistics can be viewed HERE.