London Dungeon

The London Dungeon
The London Dungeon Logo
Location within Central London
Established 15 September 1974 (1974-09-15)
Location County Hall,
Westminster Bridge Road,
South Bank, London, SE1
United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°30′10″N 0°07′10″W / 51.502685°N 0.119433°W / 51.502685; -0.119433
Public transit access London Underground Waterloo
National Rail Waterloo
Website thedungeons.com/london

The London Dungeon is a tourist attraction[1] along London's South Bank, England, which recreates various gory and macabre historical events in a gallows humour style. It uses a mixture of live actors, special effects and rides.

Overview

Entrance to the old London Dungeon building.
Skeleton in the London Dungeon.

Opening in 1974, the attraction was initially designed as a museum of macabre history, but the Dungeon has evolved to become an actor-led, interactive experience. The Dungeon is operated by Merlin Entertainments. In 2013, the London Dungeon moved from its premises on Tooley Street to a new location in County Hall next to the London Eye.

Format

The London Dungeon features 18 shows, 20 actors and 3 rides. Visitors are taken on a journey through 1000 years of London’s history where they meet actors performing as some of London’s most infamous characters, including Jack the Ripper and Sweeney Todd. The Dungeon’s shows are staged on theatrical sets with special effects. The show incorporates events such as the Black Death and the Gunpowder Plot, and includes characters such as "The Torturer", "The Plague Doctor", and "The Judge". Guests are encouraged to participate in the shows. The experience also includes a "drop ride to doom", a free-fall ride staged as a public hanging.

History

The London Dungeon was founded in 1974 by Annabel Geddes. It was initially designed as a museum of macabre history depicting gory scenes. Early characters included Boudica, Mary Tudor and Thomas Becket and had scenes from the Norman Conquest. Over the years the Dungeon has changed into an actor-led, interactive experience with both humorous and light horror elements. London’s first ever indoor water ride was installed at the venue in 1997. Kunick Leisure Group owned The Dungeons company during the 1980s, before it was bought by Vardon in 1992. In 1999 Vardon became the Merlin Entertainments Group following a management buyout led by Nick Varney.

On 31 January 2013, the London Dungeon closed its doors after 39 years at Tooley Street, London Bridge. The attraction moved to London’s County Hall on the South Bank, next to the London Eye in March 2013.

Tooley Street tour

The original London Dungeon opened in 1974 as a gory horror exhibition through dark British history, operating as a free-flow walkthrough attraction, themed to torture and sin. It was expanded in the 1980s-90s with several elaborate animated walkthrough attractions, such as the Great Fire of London and Jack The Ripper. The Great Fire segment was later replaced by the Theatre of the Guillotine after several years.

In 1997, by which time the Dungeon was managed by Vardon Attractions, the majority of the attraction was completely redesigned as a batched walkthrough rather than free-flow exhibit. This saw the arrival of Judgment Day; a water dark ride that began with visitors entering a mock trial to be sentenced to death, then boarding a boat through Traitor's Gate to their execution. The boat ride included a vertical lift and a backwards drop. Many of the original horror tableaux were also refurbished as part of a new ransacked village scene, at the start of the attraction. 2000 saw the re-introduction of the Fire of London segment, which simulated the burning streets of 17th Century London and featured a spinning trommel with smoke effects.

Under Merlin Entertainments, increasingly actor-led segments were added during the 2000s, such as the "Labyrinth of the Lost" mirror maze and the "Great Plague". In 2004, the Judgement Day boat ride was altered into Trait - Boat Ride to Hell, removing the original effects and scenes to become a simple boat ride largely through darkness.

2006 saw the arrival of a Sweeney Todd segment. The attraction used surround sound and sensory effects to simulate an encounter with the titular character, before visitors' chairs were suddenly tilted backwards as a shock effect. Another ride segment was added in 2007, Extremis - Drop ride to Doom, based on the hangings at Newgate gallows. Guests were raised 20 feet to meet an animatronic judge, priest and hangman before a free fall drop into darkness. The new ride replaced the Blood and Guts cafè.

In 2008, there were changes to the Jack the Ripper segment, which included a new ending scene in the "Ten Bells" pub. In 2009 came "Surgery - Blood and Guts", which focused on gore and anatomy and used audience interaction. "Bloody Mary : Killer Queen" opened in 2010, in place of the "Fire of London" segment and selected a random audience member to be publicly burned as a "heretic" using smoke effects.

Vengeance 5D opened in 2011 and was the UK's first 5D ride, themed to a sèance at 50 Berkeley Square with Florence Cooke. The ride was constructed in areas of the original Jack the Ripper section, which was significantly shortened to accommodate the new ride. However the ride lasted only one full season.

The last Tooley Street tour took place on 31 January 2013 and contained the following sections: The Labyrinth of the Lost; The Great Plague; Surgery: Blood and Guts; The Torture Chamber; The Courtroom; Bedlam; Traitor: Boat Ride to Hell; Sweeney Todd; Vengeance 5D; Jack the Ripper; Bloody Mary: Killer Queen; Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom.

Bloody Mary and Vengeance 5D were not relocated to County Hall. The new County Hall Dungeon features some of the attractions repurposed from the Tooley street Dungeon. The remainder of the Tooley Street interior was auctioned off to the public. The original venue will be developed by Network Rail.

The London Dungeon is one of eight Dungeons throughout Europe. The Amsterdam Dungeon, Berlin Dungeon, The Blackpool Tower Dungeon, The Castle Dungeon at Warwick Castle, The Edinburgh Dungeon, Hamburg Dungeon, and the York Dungeon are also part of the Dungeons Group, owned by Merlin Entertainments.

Critical response

The dungeon has been the subject of mixed reviews by visitors and travel writers. Rick Steves described it as "just a highly advertised, overpriced haunted house" and an "amateurish attraction".[2] The "Rough Guide to Britain" describes it as best enjoyed by "young teenagers and the credulous".[3]

The horror punk band Misfits named the song "London Dungeon" after the attraction.
"The Horrors of Saint-Petersburg", Russia is a familiar attraction which using spectacular show installations, special effects for telling thirteen mystic stories and dark legends of the city in thirteen rooms. Located in the center of the city. In 2017 attraction was moved to the Nevsky Prospect and changed its name "Arcanums Of Saint-Petersburg".

See also

References

  1. ↑ Johnstone, Sarah; Masters, Tom (2004). London. Lonely Planet. p. 164. ISBN 1-74104-091-4.
  2. ↑ Steves, Rick; Openshaw, Gene (2008). Rick Steve's London 2009. Avalon Travel. p. 78. ISBN 1-59880-117-1.
  3. ↑ Andrews, Robert; Teller, Matthew (2004). The Rough Guide to Britain. Rough Guides. p. 134. ISBN 1-84353-301-4.

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