The 360-degree virtual tour of the Steam Museum has been ranked in the top five best experiences of its kind.

The ranking, put together by industry expert Museum Crush, puts the Swindon museum ahead of popular locations such as the British Museum and the National Gallery.

It is ranked fourth, behind the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

Since the launch of the tour, visitors to the Steam’s website has increased by almost 300 per cent with more than 5,800 people taking the tour.

Frances Yeo, Steam museum manager said: “I’m absolutely delighted the hard work of my team in developing this fantastic new virtual experience has been recognised and online visitors now have the opportunity to ‘visit’ Steam while we are closed.

“The addition of this superb virtual tour is an exciting new experience for Swindon residents and fans of the GWR worldwide.”

Swindon borough councillor Dale Heenan added: “The council is focused on supporting residents during these challenging times and I’m so pleased the museum is able to play its part by making our collections so engaging during the current lockdown.”