Visitor numbers to the largest-ever exhibition of artist Beryl Cook’s work, hosted by The Box in Plymouth, have smashed expectations, with 103,795 people through the doors during its four-month run.

Some 75,000 visitors were predicted for the exhibition, which ended on Sunday.

Just over half of those who booked tickets were from the city, with roughly 45 per cent travelling from across the UK and abroad, including France, Portugal and the United States.

‘Beryl Cook – Pride and Joy’ marked 100 years since the Plymouth artist’s birth and featured more than 80 works from iconic paintings to rarely seen sculpture, textiles and sketches,  treasures from private collections and the Cook family archives.

Such was the popularity of the exhibition that the phrases “The Beryl Effect” and “Beryl Mania” were born. 

A trail featuring life-sized sculptures of characters from Beryl’s paintings took visitors to the places which gave her inspiration to paint.

The Box reported the positive impact it had had on the local economy and tourism, with many local restaurants, pubs and businesses remarking on an increase in customers who have booked travel to Plymouth specifically to see the exhibition. Footfall in the city centre was also up during these months.

A spokesperson for The Box said: “Online feedback about the exhibition was amazing, with hundreds of positive comments on The Box’s Facebook and Instagram platforms, a reach of 350,000 on those channels plus many 5-star Google reviews.

“The Box’s ‘Bloomberg Connects’ digital guide received its highest usage to date with many visitors listening to a series of specially recorded audio clips that were created to complement the exhibition.”

Beryl Cook was often referred to as a storyteller with a paintbrush, chronicling British working-class culture and social spaces.

Her work gained mass appeal in the 1970s and was used on greeting cards and prints. In the 1990s, she was awarded an OBE for her services.