York Dungeon

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The front of York Dungeon

York Dungeon is a tourist attraction in York, England. York Dungeon depicts local horrible history using actor led shows, special effects and displays of models and objects.

1 History
2 Exhibits and shows
3 Criticism
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

York Dungeon was opened in 1986 at 12 Clifford Street, York, England . It was the second dungeon created by Merlin Entertainments, the first being the London Dungeon.

[edit] Exhibits and shows

The dungeon operates on the basis of tours which start every 7 minutes and last between 1 and 1.5 hours. In these tours visitors are led around a sequence of shows and exhibitions which are loosely based on historical events and practices. ^[1]

The Great Plague show is set in 1348 with a recreation of medieval York streets and culminates with a performance from an actor playing a plague doctor. There is also a recreation of a York pub the Golden Fleece Inn where visitors are told ghost stories. Other shows include the Judgement of Sinners where visitors are accused of various crimes and the Torture Chamber where visitors are shown demonstrations of torture devices. During the tour actors playing Eric Bloodaxe, a co-conspirator of Guy Fawkes and Dick Turpin tell visitors gruesome stories.^[2]

[edit] Criticism

The Christian community in York raised concerns in 2004 about a Christmas show at the dungeon called Satan's Grotto and asked the dungeon to stop the show. Reverend Roger Simpson of St Michael-le-Belfrey church said "There are real evil forces . . . We are concerned the attraction has the potential to do real pastoral harm."^[3] A spokesman from York Dungeon's responded that "It is all tongue-in-cheek" and should not be taken seriously.^[4]

York Dungeon offered free entry to people subject to anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) for the weekend of the 26 May and 27 May 2007. The dungeon was "widely condemned for a controversial decision"^[5] with criticism coming from victims of crime, York Councillors and Hugh Bayley, the Member of Parliament for the City of York, who commented:

“

This is a publicity-seeking gimmick which goes too far. The public needs protection from anti-social behaviour and York Dungeon shouldn't be rewarding people who have been sentenced to an ASBO by the courts.^[6]

”

The manager of York Dungeon said "I thought it might shock the ASBO offenders a little to see what would have happened to them a couple of hundred years ago"^[7], but the Dungeon reported that no one took up their offer of free admission.