History behind London Tombs
A sister attraction to the London Bridge Experience, the London Tombs is situated in the remains of a former plague pit. Since it opened its doors in 2008, the Tombs has won a legion of awards including the UK's Best Year Round Scare Attraction and The World's Best Horror Attraction. Over the years, many abnormal sightings have been reported by paranormal investigators including moving objects and other unexplained events. In fact, builders working on the construction of the site in 2007 came across a creepy discovery of a large collection of skeletons. This terrified them to such an extent that they refused to work alone.
The Day
Part 1: Dressing the Part
The day commences with a history tour centred around London Bridge and its chequered past including the great fire, decapitated heads that were put on display and gory information about the famous London serial killer Jack the Ripper.
Tour complete, it’ll be time for you to step into your zombie role by finding an outfit from the copious rack of costumes. With everything from scary clown outfits, surgeon’s scrubs and horror jesters to quintessential plaid shirts, it’s down to you to determine the direction you want to take as honorary members of the living dead. To enhance the transformation, the expert team will give you an extensive special effects makeover, explaining as they go the different products used and the desired effects of each including bloodied scars and hooded eyes.
Part 2: Walking the Walk
Now transformed into members of the living dead, it’s time for a lesson in how to act like one. Heading into the tombs, your guide will offer some excellent pointers in the different styles of zombie.
These include:
- Crawlers: a slow and more uncommunicative zombie.
- Shambler: slow moving, shamblers shuffle hunched over with their arms typically flailing.
- Walker: faster than its counterparts, walkers traditionally go for strength in numbers travelling in larger groups.
- Runner/Rager: the most frightening of all. They move with lightning speed and an uncharacteristic grace with electrifying howling screams.
Zombie style selected, you’ll have the opportunity to practise your scare tactics, creating some horrifying sounds and movements ready to unleash on the unsuspecting members of the public that dare to wander through the tourist attraction.
Part 3: Scaring
Then, it’s onto the main event - watching people recoil in horror at your zombie performance. While at first you may feel self-conscious, as more and more groups enter, you’ll get a real feel for what you can do with the space as well as the best noises and actions to really horrify the guests. The basic rule is to be as scary as you can - groaning, screaming and thumping the wall are all welcome practices.
Throughout the day, the host will take you through all the different areas of the Tombs including hidden shortcuts and doors used by the actors. If you recognise a group from an earlier scene, you can use the secret doors to scare them more than once.
The Zombie for the Day experience includes lunch at the Bermondsey Bierkeller, where you’ll find delicious German street food, plus plenty of pub favourites. After lunch, you’ll have the option for a quick costume change if you wish to change your zombie persona before continuing with the task at hand.
London Bridge Experience
You can always just enter the London Bridge Experience if you want a good old scare without having to dress up as a zombie. This fully integrated character-led journey through history sees you uncover the dark secrets that lie beneath one of the world’s most famous and haunted bridges. Chock-full of war, fire and plenty of murder, London Bridge has seen it all over the last 2000 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get there?
The attraction is just a short walk from London Bridge tube station, where you’ll want to take the Tooley Street exit. For those driving, the address is: 2 - 4 Tooley St, London SE1 2SY, UK.
What is the minimum age?
You must be 18+ to be a Zombie For a Day at the London Tombs.
How long does the zombie experience last?
It’s recommended to allow 8 hours for the full experience, which starts at 10.00 and finishes at 17.00. This includes an hour’s lunch break at the nearby Bermondsey Bierkeller.
Can I participate if I am pregnant?
This event is not recommended for women who are pregnant.
Summary
While before reading this, you may not have known such an experience was possible. Hopefully by now, we’ve enlightened you about the zombie fest that awaits in London Tombs. And good news is that there’s plenty more weird and wonderful experiences waiting for you to discover.
