The London Dungeon opens its archive for the first time to celebrate 50 years of scares
- Wednesday September 11th 2024
In honour of its official 50th birthday this September 15th, the London Dungeon has opened its archive for the first time, sharing a selection of the weirdest objects and real-life ghost stories from within its walls in the lead up to Halloween.
The London attraction, known for causing fearful guests to pass out, soil themselves and wail for half a century has delved into its terrifying archive to reveal some of the spine-chilling historical and haunted items donated, purchased and even left on its doorsteps over the years that will make your toes curl.
Amongst the artefacts in its archive are authentic punishment tools dating back to pre-Victorian times including a chastity belt, branding iron, shackles and a ‘chappy chopper’ torture tool (an instrument used to wave goodbye to male parts).
The chopper actually caused the attraction to go into lockdown in 2019 after it was dropped off late at night in an unmarked box by a masked man wearing all black. The next morning, as nobody could identify where it came from, the surrounding buildings were evacuated and the police were called. Eventually, after CCTV was checked and police had investigated, it was discovered to be the ‘chappy chopper’ being returned after it was lent out.
Sourcing authentic props has often led to the team receiving more than they bargained for, including a Victorian dentistry kit that arrived with vials of real liquid cocaine and other Victorian painkillers, with some tools even having specks of blood on them. A Victorian coffin handle caused a shock when it arrived coated in grains of sand and dirt, showing it had been dug up, but no one knows by who.
Beyond the gory historical items, some objects were delivered already haunted by sinister spirits, including a ghost known affectionately as Jean. She came with a table cloth in 2016 and was seemingly unhappy in her new home, as the day she arrived glass dishes in the attraction shattered and a hanger on a costume rail started swinging by itself. A few days later a wax head even flew across the workshop and smashed.
Two dolls in the archive are also known to be haunted - the 'doll in the pram' from the attraction's original Séance show is known by staff to move by itself, and a small but sinister doll named Fanny Beckett haunts the space she occupies and messes with the electronics in the building. Fanny has the word 'soul' handwritten on her person; but the writer's identity is still unknown.
Most staff who’ve worked in the London Dungeon at night have felt the presence of spirits in the hallways, while some angry spirits have gone to great lengths to make sure their presence was known...
- Becca, Studio Technician, recalls, “During an overnight install and refresh with my manager, after finishing painting one section we went round a corner to check something for a few moments. When we came back, there were tiny child-sized handprints in the wet paint. We were the only two people in the building, and what made it even creepier is that the handprints were too high for a child to have reached, meaning they may have levitated.”
- Kaitlin, Studio Technician shared, “I was doing the night shift, which involved locking up various doors. When I checked the CCTV to make sure no-one was in the building before I left, I saw a girl wearing a white chemise moving through the corridors, it was terrifying.”
- Pam, Studio Manager said, “I was in the cleaning cupboard alone, grabbing a few things when all of a sudden I found myself locked in there. I was confused at first as the door could only be locked from the inside, but then I felt chills as I realised something was in there with me.”
- Natalie, Studio Technician recalls, “I was manually locking every door in the building, many were locked on both sides. One night after-close when it was just me and my manager in the building, we walked through a set of doors that you could only walk through one way. My manager was standing right next to me, then all of a sudden, we heard the clicks of all of the other doors in that section being reopened one by one.”
Adam Keeler, Performance Manager at the London Dungeon who has stepped into the role of ‘Archivist’ for the 50th anniversary, said of the archive: “As we’ve had our doors open to the public for 50 years, we thought it was about time we drew back the curtain to reveal some of the most weird and wonderful props, weapons and even spirits we have lurking behind the scenes of our shows. I’ve certainly been shocked at what we’ve found!
“We’re always expanding our collection and so if you want to send anything our way in the lead up to Halloween - the more haunted the better - we're up for looking at it. Just make sure to give us notice so we don’t end up in lockdown again!”
Those brave enough to enter the London Dungeon, situated on the capital’s South Bank, will uncover unsettling tales of London’s darkest past and come face-to-face with spine-chilling historic characters including Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett herself.
This Halloween the London Dungeon invites the most daring souls to raise the spirits in its new séance show, coming October 18th.
Book tickets online in advance to save!
