NEARLY one million people have poured through the doors of the Hive since it was opened by the Queen last year.

Almost one year to the day since the Queen opened the £60 million golden building, 950,340 people have gone inside.

Council chiefs say the figure is averaging 2,692 a day, but is likely to narrowly miss the original target of getting exactly one million people in by next Friday, July 12 – the first anniversary.

Community leaders say they have been surprised by how much time people spend in the building, suggesting visitors see it as a destination for the family.

However, the Hive has passed another milestone – issuing one million books by the end of June.

Councillor Adrian Hardman, county council leader, said: “I am absolutely delighted. It’s a pity we won’t reach the one million visitor mark in time, but clearly that milestone will be reached any day now.

"It’s been a great success story. When it first opened it was a bit like Marmite, you either loved it or hated it. I think people now love it.”

Figures also show 1,290 youngsters aged 11 to 16 have signed up as library members over the last year, compared with just 100 during the previous 12 months when it was in Foregate Street.

Overall, 18,000 people have signed up as new library members. The building, a joint council and University of Worcester effort, has won a string of awards for its appearance and environmentally-friendly credentials.

Anne Hannaford, director of information at the university, said: “It’s a wonderful milestone to reach as we are now very close to our one millionth visitor.”

Councillor Simon Geraghty, county council deputy leader and the cabinet member responsible for regeneration, said: “When it first opened, the design divided opinion, but now I think people are won over.

“It’s a library, but despite that it’s become something of a day out for families, and become a destination in itself. At the start, many people thought visitors would not stay that long, but it’s created such a buzz and excitement and really got the city noticed on a regional and national scale.”

It has won three awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for the architecture.