What it’s like in The London Dungeon
A review of the new Rotten Royals show at the famous attraction
We’ve had a long year of royal celebrations, but nobody is cheering in The London Dungeon, instead they’re screaming.
The famous attraction has launched a new Rotten Royals show, taking you back in time to the Terrible Tudors and the execution of Anne Boleyn.
So, what is it like, inside The London Dungeon? For anyone who last visited years ago, or is considering taking their kids, here’s my review:
I took my two daughters, aged seven and nine, thinking the Horrible Histories fans would be OK with the level of gore. The older one found all of it funny, the younger one had to hold her hands over her ears on a few occasions. To be honest, lots of the adults probably wanted to, too.
The new show tops and tails the long-running attraction and is centred around Henry VIII’s execution of second-wife Anne, which took place on May 19, 1536, in The Tower of London. You meet the King’s Guard and executioner and learn how the King brought in a French swordsman at great expense, rather than the standard axeman. Which was kind of him…
The part where they read out her alleged crimes, including her relationship with her brother George, was detail I wasn’t expecting to have to explain right at the start of the visit. However, all that was forgotten when we took a look in detail at the grisly torture implements used in history, including the infamous “chappy chopper,” which one daughter loudly asked me to clarify and was still querying, two days later. Be prepared, folks.
The London Dungeon has 16 shows, which are pieces of theatre with actors, as opposed to technical displays. I really liked it for that, as it was entertaining and the cast were all brilliant.
You walk through the dungeon from scene to scene and each one is interactive and yes, does make you scream, such as the plague house where you sit and watch someone get disembowelled. Lovely. Highlights were Mrs Lovett’s pie shop, Sweeney Todd’s Fleet St barber shop and the Jack the Ripper tavern. Each one has a gruesome surprise, which I won’t spoil.
There are two rides – a great boat ride into Traitors’ Gate at The Tower of London and a final drop ride, which my kids were too small to go on, which disappointed them.
There’s also a new Guy Fawkes Escape Room, which can be booked separately.
Verdict: It was enormous fun and very entertaining. My kids loved it and it was a great day out.
Tickets: Entry is £30 (adult), £24 (children) on the door, but it’s cheaper to book in advance.* Visit thedungeons.com
The Travel List
Can kids go? Yes, it’s open to children over five, but in my opinion, I wouldn’t take kids under seven at least, as it is quite gory.
How scary is it? It’s not terrifying, but don’t go if you don’t like enclosed spaces and gruesome crime detail.
Where is it? No longer in Tooley Street, London Bridge, The London Dungeon is on South Bank, near the London Eye.
Can I get a discount? Yes, you can get a Merlin Magical London pass for multiple attractions. Find out more, here.