Leeds Castle ended 2016 in style with a record number of Christmas visitors.

The attraction welcomed 79,269 people in December – its highest ever figure for the month.

It took its total for the year beyond 605,000, putting overall visitors up 7% on 2015, according to numbers listed by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

The figures capped off a good year for the castle, a former home of Henry VIII, which has been open to the public for more than 40 years and employs 270 staff.

Raffles raised nearly £155,000 for local schools and churches, more than 10,000 people went to its annual summer classical concerts and it welcomed its patron, Princess Alexandra, in November.

Other notable statistics, released by the castle, show it added 9,730 plants to the gardens, sold more than 3,500 bubble guns in its shops and welcomed six new birds of prey including two kookaburras bred by its falconry team.

Its famous black swans also had a good year, with 11 hatching in 2016.

Chief executive Sir David Steel said: “Over 605,000 visitors were welcomed to the estate in 2016, ensuring that the Leeds Castle Foundation can start a range of projects in 2017 which will enhance our visitor experience even further.”