Madame Tussauds

About Madame Tussauds

Wax museum in London

Madame Tussauds in London is the most famous wax museum in the world and the original of a chain that now has branches in cities across four continents. It was founded in 1835 on Baker Street by the French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud, who had learned her art in Strasbourg and Paris and toured Britain with her exhibition for three decades; the Chamber of Horrors was one of its early main attractions, advertised from 1843. When the original site grew too small, her grandson Joseph Randall commissioned the present building on Marylebone Road, whose galleries opened on 14 July 1884 with great success; the company was incorporated in 1889 and the museum is now run by the British entertainment company Merlin Entertainments. A major London attraction since the Victorian era, it displays waxworks of famous and historical figures, from royalty, heads of state and statesmen such as Churchill to scientists, artists and sports stars, and popular film and television characters. Its best-known room is the Grand Hall with its collection of international royalty, statesmen and world leaders, alongside the Chamber of Horrors depicting historic crimes and punishments, a taxi ride through London's history and interactive shows; until recently the London Planetarium occupied its west wing. Wikivoyage notes that visitors generally feel the entrance fee does not warrant the selection of waxworks, which rarely resemble the celebrities, and that a long queue usually stretches down the road, so it is a place for families and souvenir photographs rather than art lovers.

Where:

London, United Kingdom