London Dungeon

Historical events are recreated in all their bloody and gruesome glory at this attraction set in the railway arches beneath London Bridge station. Killer Queen: Bloody Mary is new for 2010.

Not one for the faint hearted, the London Dungeon covers 1,000 years of London’s most gruesome history and legends, says Nicky Trup

From ‘Bloody’ Mary I’s ruthless execution of heretics to Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, London Dungeon has long been a city attraction.

Located just south of the river under the railway arches of London Bridge station, the Dungeon ramps up the scare factor from the moment you walk in. There are 14 actor-led shows, including the new Jack the Ripper attraction. Here you arrive on the scene of the Ripper’s latest murder, accompanied by a reporter from the Pall Mall Gazette, before stepping into a Victorian pub to study the suspects.

Surgery: Blood and Guts looks at the horrible reality of medical practices in an era when diseases and hygiene were little understood, and operations were routinely carried out using dirty, unsuitable instruments. Experience particularly gory re-enactments by the Dungeon’s ‘blundering butcher surgeon’.

Those averse to fire should probably avoid the areas dedicated to the Great Fire of London, the inferno that devastated the city in 1666, and Bloody Mary, who punishes non-believing visitors Dungeon visitors by burning them at the stake.

As well as the shows, there are three theme park-style rides. Be sentenced to death at Extremis before being dropped into the darkness, or sail through the mist on Traitor: Boat Ride to Hell. And if you want to kick some ghostly butt, you can take part in a spooky shoot-out on the Vengeance 5D Laser Ride.

Whatever you do at the London Dungeon, make sure you take someone to hold your hand.