ORGANISERS have hailed a three-month exhibition featuring Durham Cathedral’s unique issue of Magna Carta as a summer success.

Officials say by the time the show closes on Monday (August 31), almost 25,000 people will have been through the doors, generating more than £2m for the local economy.

Exhibition curator Emma Hamlett said: “We’re really pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received.

“What’s more, visitors have really engaged with the themes of revolt and citizenship. It’s been fascinating to see a debate on what we would protest for today develop on the gallery walls.”

There is still time to see Magna Carta and the Changing Face of Revolt, which uses Durham Cathedral’s unique 1216 issue of Magna Carta as a starting point to chart 800 years of civil unrest, as the exhibition is open daily at Durham University’s Palace Green Library until Monday (August 31).

The show was organised to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the original Magna Carta being sealed, at Runnymede in 1215.

It has been accompanied by talks, lectures, debates, family events and workshops and a popular medieval weekend.

This is the first time the Cathedral’s 1216 edition has been on extended public display for the first time in its 799-year history and it is accompanied by other priceless treasures, including Richard III’s Bosworth Crucifix, items from the Breckenbrough hoard; the gloves Charles I wore to his execution; and the original Great Reform Act of 1832.

A separate gallery gives visitors an immersive experience of life as a “quiet” rebel – living as a Catholic in Protestant England before the Emancipation.

Before the exhibition, organisers were hoping up to 30,000 people would attend.

The 1216 Magna Carta will next be on public display in 2017, following the completion of the Cathedral’s £10m Open Treasure project to create new world-class exhibition spaces.

Palace Green Library will host Durham Book Festival events in October and then three exhibitions about Antarctica.

The exhibition is open daily until Monday (August 31) from 10am to 6pm. Entry is by timed ticket only, priced £7.50 for adults, £6.50 for children aged five to 16 and concessions and free for children under five. To book, call 0844-844-0444 or visit ticketmaster.co.uk/magna_carta_2015.