LONDON WEEKEND BREAKS - The London Dungeon

The London Dungeon has been open for over 30 years and it has seen a continual expansion in its popularity, complexity of rides, displays and special effects.

The main and original theme of the London Dungeon was torture and specifically torture devices and everything connected with them from the medieval period.

These themes have however expanded into several main events that offer a view of London from a more primitive, scary and dangerous time.

These insights manage to mix glimpses into the world of Jack the Ripper, Sweeny Todd, London's Great Plague and more.

Unlike many other similar visitor attractions, the London Dungeon features actors rather than animatronics and simulations and this gives the mini-shows a special edge.

The main events

Some of the dungeon's attractions fall roughly into the category of a show, whilst others take the form of a boat ride, or simply a wonder around a particular area. Many of the zones simulate the sounds and smells that would have been experienced during the time period that they depict.

Some of the features and shows may be unsuitable for young children, or those who are easily frightened.

The main shows or presentations are

The Great Plague which features the sights, sounds and smells of London in 1665 and offers a harrowing view of this terrible time. The show is gory and enlightening, but also entertaining in a slightly strange way.

The Jack the Ripper display is set in London's Whitechapel in the late nineteenth century and sees its visitors given an insight into some of the Rippers victims and murders. There is a narration, a film, and some atmospheric simulations that may frighten younger children or those of a nervous disposition.

The Boat Ride to Hell is a ride that replicates the last journey of a criminal sentenced to death. The trip follows the passage through Traitors Gate to the unfortunates' execution.

The Sweeney Todd show places its visitors in barber's chairs where upon they are given the impression that Todd himself is about to shave them, or cut their throats.

The Great Fire of London show is a short film and simulation of the 1666 fire that decimated old London in a time when illness and poverty were ripe.

The Labyrinth of the Lost mixes actors, mirrors and a setting in a crypt to create an environment that its visitors travel through on foot.

Extremis is the London Dungeon's most recent attraction and its takes its guests on a macabre experience that sees them sentenced to death and then hanged. The actual hanging part does not of course occur.