Sensory Guide

The London Dungeon is a highly sensory experience with dark spaces, loud noises, flashing/strobe lights, pungent smells and jump scares.

We recognise this total immersion may be difficult for people who are Neurodivergent or have additional sensory needs.

To help you be prepared for the experience, we have put together the following sensory journey which describes each different area of the attraction:

Please note that some areas of the attraction will be themed differently depending on the season/time of year. For more details please get in touch with our guest experience team ahead of your visit: LDguestexperience@merlinentertainments.biz

The London Dungeon Sensory Guide

The London Dungeon is a highly sensory experience, with dark spaces, loud noises, flashing and strobe lights, strong smells and jump scares.

There is low lighting throughout the attraction, as well as some tight spaces and narrow corridors. Audience participation is also part of each show, with staff selecting guests at random to take part.

If you do not wish to participate, simply let the actor know and they will move on to another guest.

Staff are trained to recognise the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard, and ear defenders are available if you or a member of your group needs them. Please speak to a member of staff at any point during your visit if you need assistance.

If you need to leave the attraction during your visit, speak to a member of staff or an actor. They can assist you backstage, where you can take some time before rejoining the tour, or arrange for you to leave the attraction.

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1. Admissions

This is where you enter the attraction and show or purchase your tickets. This area can become busy, and there may be a queue to enter. If you need assistance while queuing, please speak to a member of the team.

  • See: Security scanner, staff, guests, queueing chains, low lighting, barrels, skeletons, ticket machines and tills
  • Hear: Background music, security scanner beeps, loud sounds and jump-scare sound effects, staff and guests
  • Feel: Glass, ticket machine screens, wooden counter, chains and pavement-style flooring
  • Smell: Food smells from outside, various attraction and environmental smells

Photooppdungeons

2. Photo opportunity

Here you can have your photo taken before entering the depths of the Dungeon. If you would like to skip this section, please speak to a member of the team.

  • See: Staff, guests, stocks, axe, camera flashes, green screen and Dungeon theming
  • Hear: Background music, camera clicks, guests, sound effects and staff
  • Feel: Axe, wooden stocks, wooden door, photo card and pavement or cobbled flooring
  • Smell: Various attraction smells

Toilets

3. Toilets

The toilets are located after the photo opportunity and include an accessible toilet. These are the only toilets available during the tour.

  • See: Dark theming, low lighting, toilet entrances, male, female and accessible toilets, emergency cord, mirrors, hand dryers, sinks, staff and guests
  • Hear: Sound effects, character voices, background music, guests, hand dryers.
  • Feel: Doors, handles, soap, taps, wooden signs, pavement or cobbled flooring
  • Smell: Cleaning products.

Rat Run

4. Rat run

Here you will meet the Monk or Nun character and wait to enter the depths of the Dungeon. This area can become busy at peak times. Please speak to a member of the team if you need assistance.

  • See: Props, Monk or Nun character, theming, low lighting, wooden gate and mannequins
  • Hear: Character dialogue, background music, loud sound effects and guests
  • Feel: Walls, wooden gate, cobbled flooring
  • Smell: None

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5. Jester

Here you will hear the rules of the tour before meeting our resident Lift Jester and beginning your descent into the Dungeon. If you do not wish to use the lift, please speak to a member of the team, who can arrange an alternative route.

  • See: Cogs, Jester, wooden walls, lift doors and small stage
  • Hear: Mechanical sounds, jester, other guests
  • Feel: Pavement-style flooring
  • Smell: None

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6. The Descent

Here you will begin your descent into the depths of the Dungeon. If you do not wish to use the lift, please speak to a member of the team, who can arrange an alternative route.

  • See: Wooden walls, jester, strobe lighting and chains
  • Hear: Voice-overs, mechanical sounds, jester talking
  • Feel: Wooden walls, floor shaking, wooden flooring and vibrations
  • Smell: Various attraction smells 

Condemned Prisoner Show Space

7. The Condemned Prisoner

Locked away in one of London’s most feared prisons, this charismatic murderer is plotting a violent escape. They’ll lure you in, earn your trust and convince you to play your part. But be warned, they are far more dangerous than they would like you to believe.

  • See: Prisoner character, wooden prisoner door, shackles, boxes, crates, lanterns and faux rats
  • Hear: Character dialogue, banging and sound effects
  • Feel: Pavement-style flooring and bursts of air from air cannons
  • Smell: Various attraction and environmental smells

 

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8. Prison Cells

As the guard approaches, tensions rise and the window of escape becomes smaller. When the cell door finally opens, you’ll discover exactly why this prisoner was incarcerated in the first place.

  • See: Stairs, low wooden beams, barrels, candles, cobwebs, figures, bars and dim lighting
  • Hear: Banging, screaming and sound effects
  • Feel: Cobwebs, low beams and pavement-style flooring
  • Smell: Various attraction smells

Please note: You may experience a jump scare in this area.

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9. Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot

Enter the world of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, with barrels of gunpowder and an unlit fuse nearby.

  • See: Barrels, Master Bates character, smoke, haze, character projections, Guy Fawkes projection, lit fuse and strobe lighting
  • Hear: Guy Fawkes, explosion, character dialogue, sound effects
  • Feel: Haze, smoke, floor movement, cobbled flooring
  • Smell: Gunpowder

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10. The Torture Chamber

Here you will enter the Torture Chamber, where the Torturer is looking for volunteers. If you do not wish to participate, simply say no when asked, and the actor will move on to another guest.

  • See: Cages, torture instruments, chair, guts, walls, fire, stage and skeletons
  • Hear: Sound effects, torturer speaking, screams, banging, metal clanging
  • Feel: Chair, cages, wooden doors, pavement-style flooring
  • Smell: None

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11. Plague Street

Make your way through the plague-ridden streets of London and up a flight of steps to the Pest House.

  • See: Figures, bodies, skeletons, plague masks, cobbles, vomiting man, streets, wooden gates and hanging clothes
  • Hear: Sound effects, voices, water splashing
  • Feel: Water spray, hanging clothes, wooden slats and cobbled flooring
  • Smell: Plague smell

Please note: You may experience a jump scare in this area.

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12. Pest House

You’ll enter a deserted pest house in London during the 1665 plague outbreak. This area can become quite crowded, so please speak to one of the characters if you need assistance.

  • See: Wooden platform, windows, shelves, metal door

  • Hear: Character dialogue, voice-overs, sound effects, objects falling, and smashing

  • Feel: Two flights of stairs (21 steps), pavement-style flooring, and haze

  • Smell: Plague smell

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13. Plague Doctor

In this section, you’ll meet the Plague Doctor and his assistant as they deal with the aftermath of the Black Plague.

  • See: Body, guts, benches, skeletons, leeches, blood, chair, curtain, hammer, flashing lights and blackouts
  • Hear: Vomiting, leeches, speaking, sound effects, gong
  • Feel: Leeches under the leather benches, air cannon, water spray, wooden and cobbled flooring
  • Smell: Musky plague smell

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14. Curse of The Witch

Enter the depths of Newgate Prison and witness Elizabeth Sawyer, the Witch of Edmonton, awaiting her execution.

  • See: Cages, witch, jailor, benches, wooden walls, chandelier, flashing lights, strobe, windows, portrait
  • Hear: Banging, voice-overs, music,  witch talking, air cannon
  • Feel: Haze, wooden flooring, metal cage, vibrating benches
  • Smell: Haze or Smoke

If you do not wish to enter the cage, please say no when asked and the actor will move on to another guest.

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15. Poppins Court

Walk through Poppins Court, with its alleyway setting and themed surroundings.

  • See: Trommel spinning, figures, alleyway, street and hanging washing
  • Hear: Music, voices, sound effects
  • Feel: Washing, cobwebs
  • Smell: Bakery smell

Pieshop

16. Mrs Lovett's Pie Shop

Enter Mrs Lovett’s famous pie shop, where you’ll find her preparing her infamous pies.

  • See: Pies, bubbling pot, pie shop, bar, meat grinder, Mrs Lovett, hatch, body
  • Hear: Character talking, voice-overs, background music
  • Feel: Wooden flooring
  • Smell: Bakery smells

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17. Sweeney Todd

Enter Sweeney Todd’s barber shop, where you may be invited to take part in the experience.

  • See: Chairs, darkness, window, Toby and Flora
  • Hear: Voice-overs, screams, sound effects
  • Feel: Moving chair, air blowing, back pokes, neck ticklers, wooden flooring
  • Smell: None

If you do not wish to take part in this section, please speak to the actor and you can bypass the show.

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18. Mitre Square

Step into the foggy, gas-lit streets of Whitechapel in 1888, where Mary Jane Kelly tells you about the recent murders.

  • See: Streets, lampposts, Mary Jane Kelly, body, lightning, lantern, low lighting and blackouts
  • Hear: Banging, background music, actor speaking, thunder and lightning sound effects
  • Feel: Cobbled flooring
  • Smell: Haze or Smoke

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19. Mirror Maze

Make your way through the Whitechapel Labyrinth, a maze of narrow streets and mirrors.

  • See: Mirrors, people, models, walls
  • Hear: Chains dropping, loud bangs, sound effects and voice-overs
  • Feel: Mirrors, bricks, cobbled flooring 
  • Smell: None

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20. The Ten Bells Pub

Enter the Ten Bells Pub and hear Waldren tell the story of Jack the Ripper on a stormy night.

  • See: Chairs, bar, tables, windows, shelves, character, lighting, flashing lights, strobes, blackouts and spotlights
  • Hear: Sound effects, loud bangs, thunder, rain sounds, character talking, air cannon, music
  • Feel: Air cannons, wooden flooring
  • Smell: None

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21. The Courtroom

Enter the courtroom, where the Judge will call guests to the dock to confess their crimes. This show includes audience participation. If you do not wish to participate, simply say no to the Judge and they will choose another volunteer.

  • See: Courtroom, candles, Judge, docks, books, portraits
  • Hear: Judge, banging, music, sound effects
  • Feel: Wooden flooring
  • Smell: None

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22. The Noose Room

Here you will await your punishment before entering the Drop Ride. A team member will provide instructions for the ride.

If you do not wish to ride, please speak to a member of staff and you can bypass this section.

  • See: Ride signage, theming, hanging nooses, wooden doors
  • Hear: Voice-over describing the rules, sound effects and staff instructions
  • Feel: Pavement-style flooring
  • Smell: None

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23. The Drop Ride

Welcome to the Newgate Gallows, where you will face the final ride of your Dungeon journey.

The Drop Dead ride is a freefall drop ride in complete darkness. Health and safety restrictions apply and are explained before entering the ride. Guests who do not wish to take part will have the opportunity to leave.

  • See: Gondola, lap bars, boxes, severed head models, ropes, staff member in costume, periods of darkness and camera flashes
  • Hear: Sound effects, voice-overs, background music and staff instructions
  • Feel: Drop motion of the ride, metal bar, cushioned bar, hard foam seats, ride restraints, metal slatted flooring
  • Smell: None

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24. Photo sales

  • See: Photo screens, staff, barriers, carts, theming
  • Hear: Sound effects, guests talking, screams from drop ride
  • Feel: Barriers, pavement-style flooring.
  • Smell: None

This is where you can view the photos taken during your visit. If you do not wish to view your photos, you can skip the queue and head straight to the Tavern or gift shop.

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25. The Tavern

The Tavern marks the end of your tour. Here you can take a seat, enjoy a drink or visit the London Dungeon gift shop.

  • See: Bar, chairs, tables, piano, shop, drinks
  • Hear: Music, guests, sound effects
  • Feel: Tables, chairs, items in the shop, drinks, wooden and cobbled flooring
  • Smell: Snacks and drink smells

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