A HAMPSHIRE artillery museum is top gun when it comes to drawing the crowds.

Visitors to Fort Nelson, near Fareham, between April and July are up by 15 per cent compared with last year.

The museum, part of the Royal Armouries - has cannoned its way almost to the top of the visitor league for the services and attractions it offers. On a scale of between one and five the museum has been given 4.16.

Unlike its mother museum, the Royal Armoury at Leeds, which has hit a financial glitch, Fort Nelson is going from strength to strength.

The museum, which on Sunday is offering a display of military horsemanship and artillery, hosts a number of temporary exhibitions during the year. Its recent exhibition on Charles I - To Kill a King - featuring the trial and execution of the monarch proved hugely popular with tourists travelling long distances to view it.

Spokesman David Goodwin said the museum was pleased its hard work had paid off.

"We are one of a handful of museum in the country taking part in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's scheme of free admission for children. The scheme is having a substantial benefit, improving visitor figures. Next year our target is 45,000."

The museum has come to be realised as one of the most innovative museums in the south of England. Recently it employed two interpreters to research and act out roles played in history by certain characters, to bring the visitor a vivid insight into life at the time.

The next exhibition, Ordnance in Miniature, displays artillery models from museums from all over the country.

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