Ambitious plans for Black Country Living Museum

A five-year plan sets out the museum's goal of attracting 500,000 visitors a year – its current figures are around 290,000.

Andrew Lovett, director and chief executive, confirmed museum bosses are mulling over plans to let people spend their holidays on the site.

The masterplan also sets out ideas to redevelop the southern half of the site – which visitors first come across when they walk through the entrance – to provide a fully joined up journey.

By focusing on modern day manufacturing in the Black Country in this section, the museum would offer a counterpoint to the history people experience in the popular Canal Street area.

"What we're thinking is we want to explain the legacy of the story that we tell in the historic area," Mr Lovett said.

"In the non-historic area we want to have some sort of focus on modern manufacturing – that could be exhibitions, displays or events about what's happening in the Black Country today.

"History doesn't stop – it's a continuum and we want to put things into context so people aren't just getting a historic story, they're getting a story about the legacy of that in the modern world.

"We think we could get up to 500,000 visitors a year.

"At the back of our minds is about fulfilling the potential that exists within the museum.

"We've got the story to tell and the right size of site so we're looking to develop from around 290,000 this year – so targeting 500,000 doesn't seem at all unreasonable."

Mr Lowell said they were also discussing allowing people to stay in the museum overnight, adding this was an example of an open-air museum's immersive nature.

"We think there might be a market for that," he said. "It would be quite an interesting proposal to be able to stay in a building that's part of the museum.

"Similar ideas have been developed at other sites.

"It would be in the historic area – possibly the 1940s terraced housing.

"We would provide costumes so that they could live in the museum for a few days.

"I think if people could have a holiday on site that's about as immersive as it gets."

However, he was at pains to say that any potential plans for the museum are still just that, unless they get funding.

"Developing it in step changes is important to us as we'll be able to put some of our own resources in, but's it's very much requiring of external funding."

The museum recorded bumper visitor numbers this summer – despite downpours hitting the school holidays.

Visitor numbers jumped by eight per cent during the six-week holidays.

Museum spokeswoman Laura Wakelin said at the time that the summer holidays were 'a key period for the museum' and said some of the reasons for this boost included its new UnChained Annual Pass which allows for unlimited returns within a 12-month period, but also an attractive range of activities.

Figures releases by the museum in February showed an increase of more than 31,000 visitors in 2014 compared to 2013.