The first time I visited the original London Dungeon was as a teenager back in the early 1990’s, when it was based at Tooley Street near London Bridge. Now in its’ relatively new location, by The London Eye at County Hall on the South Bank, I have been keen to take my teenage sons to see if it scares them as much as it scared me back then!
The set up is very different to the original Dungeon, which was more like a museum. From the beginning, known ominously as ‘The Descent’, you have the sense that the experience is going to be a large portion of fun with a tinge of terror, and as I was descending, I chuckled to myself at the bemusing screams of the tourists accompanying us. The format is now highly interactive, involving you, as part of an audience, travelling to sets depicting various highlights (or rather low points) from London’s gruesome past, which are then brought cleverly to life by professional actors with a good dose of humour and a generous helping of gory detail.
An atmospheric ‘boat ride’ to Traitor’s Gate is enlivened with tales of Henry VIII sending traitors to the Tower, to meet their fate. Moving on a step in history we learned the fascinating story of Guy Fawkes and the gruesome details of his demise. After this a meeting with‘The Torturer’ injects a real flavor of the‘horror’I remembered from the original Dungeon. The showcasing of various instruments of torture is certainly not for the faint hearted, and as the details unfold, unsuspecting ‘volunteers’ are plucked from the crowd to help bring it all to life! A walk past disease-ridden house and piles of corpses brings you into the era of The Great Plague, and one of my highlights of the Dungeon- an audience with the (dead) Dr’s Assistant. She was hugely entertaining and humorous, whilst managing to evoke the desperate plight of Londoners during this period. We then moved to another favourite performance: Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop. As you may know from the famous story, Mrs. Lovett, who idolised the infamous barber of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd, created pies from the victims remains. We then get to meet the man himself, but I won’t spoil the surprise for you! Next stop are the old streets of Whitechapel to hear about Jack The Ripper, and his horrific appetite for murder. Lastly, we were sent to the Judge, where to my delight and the awkward embarrassment of my son, he was sent to the dock for ‘touching ladies bottoms’!
The actors and actresses really make this experience. Their costumes are excellent and they manage to engage the audience throughout with their quick wit, humour and fascinating details. The journey is fast paced, and once I got over the smell (which I figure is an important part of the realistic re-creation!), I thoroughly enjoyed each of the scenes, enhanced as they are through some very clever special effects.
Whilst my young teenage sons really enjoyed the London Dungeon, they were definitely a little shocked by some of the graphic descriptions, and for this reason I wouldn’t recommend the Dungeon for sensitive or young children (their recommended age is 12 and above).
At the final point of the tour, you are given a token, which you can retain as a keepsake, or trade in for a free drink at The Tavern. To end up in an East End pub concludes the experience perfectly, and the London tunes playing from a piano, accompanied occasionally by a singer, create that atmosphere of old London that is so evocative of this experience. It’s a great attraction in London, and will get busy at certain periods. It took us around an hour and half to get round, so is not too long, and no one will be bored. If anything I expect you will be kept on your toes for the duration! Apparently, fear is a funny thing...
KEY INFORMATION:
Opening times: Monday - Friday 10am-5pm EXCEPT Thursday when the attraction opens at 11am with last entry at 5pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-6pm
Guests are advised to check website to confirm opening times and pre book tickets before visiting
Best prices online at www.thedungeons.com/london
Prices on the door £28.95 (adult), £23.95 (children), book in advance online to save 30%; The London Dungeon Tavern is included in main entry price.
For further information visit: www.thedungeons.com/london