STAFF at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford are celebrating a 'great year' after compiling their latest visitor figures.

When Dr Alexander Sturgis became the attraction's new director in 2015 he said his aim was to ensure that at least one million visitors a year came through the door.

While the one million target has not been achieved over the past 12 months, staff are delighted with the latest visitor numbers of more than 900,000.

It is a similar figure to the 910,419 visitors of 2015/16, which placed the Ashmolean 37th nationwide in a list compiled by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

Director of public engagement Theresa Nicolson said: "As we are part of Oxford University our year ends on July 31 and it looks like it’s going to be a great year, with visitor figures over 900,000."

Two major exhibitions this year, Degas to Picasso and Raphael: The Drawings, have helped to bring in the crowds.

Raphael: The Drawings, which brings together a once-in-a-lifetime collection of 120 drawings by the Renaissance artist, opened on June 1 and finishes on September 3.

Thousands of people have already made a special trip to see the drawings and opening hours are being extended, with the exhibition opening on Monday, August 7, 14 and 21 to cater for demand.

Ms Nicolson added: "For Raphael we’ve already welcomed nearly 30,000 visitors to the exhibition with five weeks more to go."

Dr Sturgis, director of the museum said: "We always knew Raphael: The Drawings would provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see such an extraordinary collection of drawings in one place and this has been reflected in the many five-star reviews it has received in the press.

"What has been most rewarding, though, is how the exhibition has captured the general public’s imagination – and this is why we are extending opening hours in August."

Dr Sturgis succeeded Prof Christopher Brown as director, the man who oversaw the £61m redevelopment programme at the Ashmolean, which reopened in November 2009 with 39 new galleries, 100 per cent more display space, a new education centre and Oxford’s first rooftop restaurant.

In the year following its reopening Ashmolean visitor numbers shot up to 1.2 million but have subsequently dropped back to about 850,000, before increasing again.

Dr Sturgis, who spent 15 years at the National Gallery in London, said his aim was to make one million visitors a year 'the norm'.

He is the 19th director in the museum’s 332-year history.