Escaping Jack the Ripper at The London Dungeon

The London Dungeon (now situated in the old London County Hall following a £20 million refit) is a great attraction. There is so much to see, and its even educational in a ‘Horrible Histories’ kind of way. But kids love the gory stuff and they do learn some interesting historical facts too. The London Dungeon IS quite scary, and is recommended for adults and children over 10. Toby was 9 when we visited (and he said he found it rather tame, being the adrenaline junkie that he is …) For the record, I screamed a few times!

The Experience

The basic format is that you are divided into groups of up to 20 people. You then visit different rooms and meet actors who will tell you gruesome tales about ‘Ole London Town. So, the visit starts with a bit of creepy queuing with low level lighting and some gory artefacts. Just to set the scene, you understand.

While waiting to start your journey into the dungeon you can also say hi to the live cockroaches and rats! The rat enclosure is equipped with a glass dome (bush tucker trial style) to stick you head through and get the best experience by seeing them close up 🙂

You are gradually exposed to over 1,000 years of the very scary history of London. There are two rides included as part of the tour and a huge number of actors who bring the whole thing to life with their dialogue and banter. There are loads of double entendres for grown-ups (and teenagers) and loads of poo and general toilet humour to amuse the younger ones. Toby was told in the toilets by a loud speaker to “hurry up and put it away or I’ll cut it off”! Its very interactive and you definitely require a sense of humour.

The Dungeon Rides

The Tyrant Boat Ride is the first ride. This actually required 20,000 litres of recycled water from the River Thames to create it. The boat ride, with real smells, starts slowly and you go past Henry VIII which funnily enough has Brian Blessed’s face. He speaks to you but you only see him for a few seconds. Be prepared when the ride suddenly stops and then rears up and plunges down with water everywhere! Toby recalls seeing heads on spikes and “lots of horrible stuff”.

The second ride, ‘Drop Dead’, is right at the end of the dungeon tour and you really drop down three storeys in the building. You’ll definitely cry for help but you’ll be chuckling as you get off, if just a little unsteady. However, if you really don’t want to do the last ride, there is a wimps ‘escape to freedom’ which takes you straight to the gift shop and exit. I confess to wimping out! The others said it was fun though.

History on the Dungeon Tour

The tour takes about 1.5 hours and it is absolutely worth it. There are a number of themes with very scary scenes and acting, such as Jack the Ripper and the ripper’s local Pub (now known as the Ten Bells).

There is also the Fleet prison and a tortured prisoner who, during a strobe lighting moment, pulls the bars open and escapes.

Other themes are the black death hospital (you get trapped in it alongside a physician with a bird mask on).

Learn about Sweeney Todd the barber, and his mistress, Mrs Lovett’s Pie Shop, who made pies with human meat. Then there’s the court room where we were the accused!

We walked along the streets during Guy Fawkes’ time (gunpowder plot), complete with heads on stakes.

The torture room had an iron maiden and an explanation of some of the 70 instruments of torture available. Toby often talks about the ‘testicle removing scissors’ …

You Couldn’t Make it Up!

The London Dungeon highlights 1,000 years of London’s history, but it’s definitely not a boring history lesson. You’ll meet so many of the characters from London’s past. They’ll all tell you their stories and make you shiver with fright. Historical accuracy isn’t the be-all-and-end-all here, but you get a flavour of what it was like to live in these times. Remember it’s very dark inside. The ceilings have been designed to drip so you can get a little wet. Certain smells have also been added such as ‘rotten food’ and ‘dirty Thames water. However it is a safe place and it’s all been designed to give you some thrills and to make you scream while having fun.

For more information, please visit their website here.