Scary London

Description:

Ignore, if you can, the crass antics of the touts outside with their guillotine, severed heads, blood-soaked bandages etc. Although this new kid on the chopping block - voted best scary attraction in the UK two years running - is very much a London Dungeon lookalike, in our opinion it's a more rounded and possibly (?!) less gross attraction than its neighbour. OK, we were chased by a nutcase intent on ripping out our lungs and eating our eyeballs, but before that we were treated to tall tales, special effects and a good helping of humour by well-informed costumed guides and holograms of characters from the past. So, as well as being scared half to death, you can learn about the history of the bridges, "experience" the fires that destroyed the most famous London Bridge and find out, among other things how the rhyme 'London Bridge is Falling Down' came about.

Description:

This ghoulish place was designed to chill the blood while reproducing the conditions of the Middle Ages. Set under the arches of London Bridge Station, the dungeon is a series of tableaux more grisly than those at Madame Tussaud's. The rumble of trains overhead adds to the atmosphere, and tolling bells bring a constant note of melancholy; dripping water and caged rats make for even more atmosphere. Naturally, it offers a burning at the stake, as well as a torture chamber with racking, branding, and fingernail extraction, and a spine-chilling "Jack the Ripper Experience." The special effects were originally conceived for major film and TV productions. They've recently added a new show called "Judgment Day." You're sentenced to death (by actors, of course) and taken on a boat ride to meet your fate. If you survive, a Pizza Hut is on-site, and a souvenir shop sells certificates that testify you made it through the works.

Our Local Expert Says:

Saturated with fascinating history, spend the day

Description:

This ancient fortress continues to pack in the crowds with its macabre associations with the legendary figures imprisoned and/or executed here. There are more spooks here per square foot than in any other building in the whole of haunted Britain. Headless bodies, bodiless heads, phantom soldiers, icy blasts, clanking chains -- you name them, the Tower's got them. Centuries after the last head rolled on Tower Hill, a shivery atmosphere of impending doom still lingers over the Tower's mighty walls. Plan on spending a lot of time here.

The Tower is actually an intricately patterned compound of structures built through the ages for varying purposes, mostly as expressions of royal power. The oldest is the White Tower, begun by William the Conqueror in 1078 to keep London's native Saxon population in check. Later rulers added other towers, more walls, and fortified gates, until the buildings became like a small town within a city. Until the reign of James I (beginning in 1603), the Tower was also one of the royal residences. But above all, it was a prison for distinguished captives.

Every stone of the Tower tells a story -- usually a gory one. In the Bloody Tower, according to Shakespeare, Richard III's henchmen murdered the two little princes (the young sons of his brother, Edward IV). Richard knew his position as king could not be secure as long as his nephews were alive, and there seems no reasonable doubt that the princes were killed on his orders. Attempts have been made by some historians to clear his name, but Richard remains the chief suspect, and his deed caused him to lose the "hearts of the people," according to the Chronicles of London at the time.

Sir Walter Raleigh spent 13 years in the Bloody Tower before his date with the executioner. On the walls of the Beauchamp Tower, you can still read the last messages scratched by despairing prisoners. Through Traitors' Gate passed such ill-fated, romantic figures as Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex and a favorite of Elizabeth I. A plaque marks the eerie place at Tower Green where two wives of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, plus Sir Thomas More, and the 9-day queen, Lady Jane Grey, all lost their lives.

The Tower, besides being a royal palace, a fortress, and a prison, was also an armory, a treasury, a menagerie, and, in 1675, an astronomical observatory. Reopened in 1999, the White Tower holds the Armouries, which date from the reign of Henry VIII, as well as a display of instruments of torture and execution that recall some of the most ghastly moments in the Tower's history. In the Jewel House, you'll find the Tower's greatest attraction, the Crown Jewels -- some of the world's most precious stones set into robes, swords, scepters, and crowns. The Imperial State Crown is the most famous crown on earth; made for Victoria in 1837, it's worn today by Queen Elizabeth II when she opens Parliament. Studded with some 3,000 jewels (principally diamonds), it includes the Black Prince's Ruby, worn by Henry V at Agincourt. The 530-carat Star of Africa, a cut diamond on the Royal Sceptre with Cross, would make Harry Winston turn over in his grave. You'll have to stand in long lines to catch just a glimpse of the jewels as you and hundreds of others scroll by on moving sidewalks, but the wait is worth it.

The presumed prison cell of Sir Thomas More is open to the public. More left this cell in 1535 to face his executioner after he'd fallen out with King Henry VIII over the monarch's desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon, the first of his six wives. More is believed to have lived in the lower part of the Bell Tower, here in this whitewashed cell, during the last 14 months of his life, although some historians doubt this claim.

A palace inhabited by King Edward I in the late 1200s stands above Traitors' Gate. It's the only surviving medieval palace in Britain. Guides at the palace are dressed in period costumes, and reproductions of furniture and fittings, including Edward's throne, evoke the era, along with burning incense and candles.

In 2004 several improvements were made, including the opening of a Visitors Center and the restoration of a 13th-century wharf. To the west of the Tower is the newly created Tower Hill Square, designed by Stanton Williams, with a series of pavilions housing ticketing facilities, a gift shop, and a cafeteria.

Oh, yes -- don't forget to look for the ravens. Six of them (plus two spares) are all registered as official Tower residents. According to a legend, the Tower of London will stand as long as those black, ominous birds remain, so to be on the safe side, one of the wings of each raven is clipped.

One-hour guided tours of the entire compound are given by the Yeoman Warders (also known as "Beefeaters") every half-hour, starting at 9:30am, from the Middle Tower near the main entrance. The last guided walk starts about 3:30pm in summer, 2:30pm in winter -- weather permitting, of course.

You can attend the nightly Ceremony of the Keys, the ceremonial locking-up of the Tower by the Yeoman Warders. For free tickets, write to the Ceremony of the Keys, Waterloo Block, Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB, and request a specific date, but also list alternate dates. At least 6 weeks' notice is required. Accompany all requests with a stamped, self-addressed envelope (British stamps only) or two International Reply Coupons. With ticket in hand, a Yeoman Warder will admit you at 9:35pm. Frankly, we think it's not worth the trouble you go through to see this rather cheesy ceremony, but we know some who disagree with us.

Tower Tips -- You can spend the shortest time possible in the Tower's long lines if you buy your ticket at the kiosk at Tower Hill Tube station before emerging above ground. Even so, choose a day other than Sunday -- crowds are at their worst then -- and arrive as early as you can in the morning.

Description:

An evening tour around London's haunted spaces and cemeteries in the special decked out "fright bus", a black Routemaster double decker bus lead by a cast of sinister actors.

Daily tours leave from a bus stop outside the Grand Hotel on Northumberland, just off of Trafalgar Square. Book ahead in October.

Not for young children.

Our Local Expert Says:

Respectable pub considering the history and tourist aspect

Description:

The Ten Bells pub is home to history, the infamous Jack the Ripper met a number of his victims prior to their fate. Yet,the only reference to Ripper in the pub are copies of original illustration that line the stairs en route to the toilets. Ten Bells is riding the coattails of the East End's trendy revival, with a DJ often in attendance. Adding to the establishment's ambiance, the bar is overflowing with coffee machines, candlesticks, flowers, not to mention reasonably-priced drinks.

Description:

Follow the blood-soaked footsteps of murderer Jack the Ripper down narrow, gas-lit alleyways on a walking tour of London that will have you trembling with fear! You'll visit all four murder sites in Whitechapel, accompanied by an expert "Ripperologist" who will provide all the clues to this real-life Victorian Whodunit.

The year is 1888. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has just published his first Sherlock Holmes story...and in Whitechapel, in London's East End, five women are brutally murdered by the world's first recognized serial killer, Jack the Ripper.

Led by a renowned London Blue Badge guides, you will visit four murder sights, while your "Ripperologist" runs through some of the suspects in this unsolved case that led Scotland Yard to Queen Victoria herself.

After the walking tour you have the option to enjoy a traditional fish and chip supper in one of London's most historic pubs (not included in the tour price). If you decide to partake in this wonderful English tradition, the fish and chips supper costs approximately GBP7.00  to GBP10.00 and is payable locally.

Our Local Expert Says:

Not squeamish, then watch videos of modern surgical techniques, including brain surgery & see the effects of syphilis on the body.

Description:

Discover almost everything about the history and development of surgery. Located in Holborn, the museum is found in the Museum Mile district. It is predominantly made up of the collection of John Hunter, the 18th century surgeon and anatomist. The eight galleries explore almost everything to do with the history of surgery including the 'Story of Surgical Instruments,' which explores the design, manufacture and development of surgical instruments in the medical and dental professions. The museum is successful in providing a deep, detailed insight into the world of surgery. Make use of the free guided tours every Wednesday at 1p. Admission is free.

Description:

A stone's throw east of Hampstead Heath, Highgate Village has a number of 16th- and 17th-century mansions and small cottages, lining three sides of the now-pondless Pond Square. Its most outstanding feature, however, is this beautiful cemetery, laid out around a huge 300-year-old cedar tree and laced with serpentine pathways. The cemetery was so popular and fashionable in the Victorian era that it was extended on the other side of Swain's Lane in 1857. The most famous grave is that of Karl Marx, who died in Hampstead in 1883; his grave, marked by a gargantuan bust, is in the eastern cemetery. In the old western cemetery -- accessible only by guided tour, given hourly in summer -- are scientist Michael Faraday and poet Christina Rossetti.

Description:

Historic gin palace pub built on a the former site of a prison with former cells in the cellar. Legend says it's one of London's most haunted spots. Mostly a drinking only pub serving the local professionals.

Description:

This is one of the most popular walking tours of London. You are led around the city by an author whose books include "Walking Haunted London" and "Walking Haunted Britain and Ireland", and who is a member of the Magic Circle. The walk includes the recreation of many psychic phenomena such as spirit writing, ESP and poltergeist activity. This, linked with Richard Jones's excellent story telling ability, makes it an experience never to be forgotten. This walk will take place whatever the weather - the worse the better!! Not for the faint hearted! A Jack the Ripper walk is also available. - Caroline Collard