Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
wax works are almost lifelike, well presented |
| Disadvantages: |
hot, crowded, expensive |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Getting some photos back from my last trip down south, and seeing a few of Madame Tussauds prompted me to write this opinion. Unlike the other comments I have read about Madame Tussauds, I wasn't overly impressed. Maybe this was because it was the last trip I went on with my ex-boyfriend, and I was working out that day how best to finish with him? Anyway, Madame Tussauds was his idea - to me, it all seems a bit 'fake', I suppose being an historian, I am more interested in going to see some real history - as you will have gathered if you've read any of my other opinions. Maybe I'm just an intellectual snob, but in my opinion, Madame Tussauds is aimed at foreign tourists and children, not the sort of place that students would be too interested in.
Anyway, so what's it actually like there? Well, to start with, despite the fact we went out of season, there was a huge queue to get in. Here's a tip for you - to bypass the queue, visit the London Planetarium as well, this is next door to Madame Tussauds, has a much shorter queue, if any, and when you have finished here, you get let directly into Madame T's. Plus, the Planetarium is great - but more on that another day!
The prices to get in are sky high, OK, so this is London, but they were charging ultra high prices even for London. Luckily we had a 2 for 1 offer - you can find these in the local south east papers periodically, or through the AA, and probably in many other publications. Without this, I would never have paid somewhere in the region of £12 to get in! Whilst children might like to visit Madame T's, it would be very expensive for a whole family to go.
Once inside, it is somewhat claustrophobic - though if you've travelled on the tube to get here (nearest station Baker Street) you won't mind that too much! There are people everywhere, trying to take photos can sometimes prove a little tricky! It is well laid out, and the first exhbition you walk in to is a garden party scene, with a good mix of older and more recent celebrities. Some of my personal favourites included Lenny Henry and David Jason, I also persuaded my boyfriend to snap me with Brad Pitt. Was I trying to subtly drop hints of the impending break up??
There are several different exhibition rooms inside, one for example with music stars and film stars such as Elvis, another with historical and political figures - such as Gandhi, Lenin, Gorbachev, the royals through the ages etc etc. The figures were very well made, many did look real, and there was some limited information provided on each one, but at the end of the day, all you were doing was looking at waxworks, and whilst some people might find it fascinating, I found it, well, by the end, a little boring. The only interesting bit for me was the small exhibition on the history of Madame Tussauds, well worth a look, although seeing piles of wax heads on shelves made me feel slightly weird!!
Another part of Madame T's which is famed, is the chamber of horrors at the end. Certainly not the place to take young children or those of a nervous disposition, it is very graphic, and dark, and the whole atmosphere is unpleasant and eerie, with scenes of executions during the French revolution for example, and prisoners on death row. Some unpleasant images in this area, though once again, this might be some people's cup of tea! Personally I wasn't over keen, but then I am the sort of person who will faint at the sight of blood. Luckily though, for children etc there is a short cut out of here to avoid seeing all the grisly and gruesome sights.
Finally, once you have bypassed the cafe - very expensive, hot and crowded, as I learnt from experience, there is, in my opinion, one of the best bits of Madame T's, this is a ride called the spirit of London. It is the same type of ride as you get at places such as the Jorvik centre, where you sit in a little car, and get taken along through the history of London. It's nice to sit down too after all the walking before! I really enjoyed this bit, certainly not for the historical information as obviously a tour like this through the whole history of London is not going to be detailed or in depth, but the presentation and soundtrack were great, and the scenes changed rapidly - from the beginnings of London history until almost present day. My only regret here was that I would have liked this to last a bit longer! Children in particular will love this - sitting on a moving vehicle somehow always seems to appeal to everyone! It's nice to sit with only members of your party or family too - leaving the rest of the crowds behind!!
Well, that's about it then for Madame T's. Can't fault the presentation, layout, or general set up of the exhibitions, and if you are interested in seeing well-known or historical personages then this is the place to come. On a personal level, it didn't really appeal, but this is not the fault of the place. I don't think it's really aimed at people like me. If you can face the crowds, the hot and somewhat claustrophic atmosphere, and can afford the exorbitant prices, then a place worth visiting.
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