Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has celebrated its 65th millionth visitor - six-year-old Dante Samuels from Dudley.

Since opening in 1867 as the Corporation Art Gallery, staff have been using the same method to count the number of people passing through its doors.

Rita McLean, head of museums and heritage at Birmingham City Council, said: "They have little clickers and they click people as they go through the door and they have this great big old fashioned ledger which they record the numbers on at the end of the day.

"It is a bit Dickensian looking but it has worked. It's not scientific, but it is the best estimate we have and we have been using it since the museum opened."

The original museum was housed in the old Birmingham library. The current building on Chamberlain Square - designed by Yeoville Thomason who also did the Council House - was opened by Queen Victoria's son Edward in 1867.

Then the Prince of Wales, the museum's Edwardian Tea Rooms are named after him. Today, it is famed for having the largest PreRaphaelite collection in the world.

Ms Mclean added: "The Queen opened the Gas Hall gallery in 1993. The G8 leaders dined here in 1998. The wives visited regularly with various people.

"Tony Blair used it like you would your front room to show off his country to the G8 leaders.

"If there is something going on at the Rep or Hippodrome whoever's appearing will usually pop into the gallery during the day.

"We have had Barry Humphries who is better known as Dame Edna Everage here."

Dante and his family, who visited the museum on March 1, won more than £100 worth of gifts from the shop.