The legendary statues of this wax museum have their origin in the masks moulded at the beginning of the 19th century by its founder, the Frenchwoman Marie Tussaud. When she arrived in England, her work consisted of representations of famous victims of the French Revolution.
In 1835 she set up a permanent exhibition of her work for the first time in a premises in Baker Street. Years later, the collection, which by then consisted of 400 figures, was moved to its current site, in Marylebone Road. Today, this successful museum has become an empire with branches in cities such as Amsterdam, Hong Kong or Las Vegas.
Unlike other wax museums, in which the technical and artistic quality is questionable, the traditional moulding techniques that Madame Tussauds’ craftsmen use result in remarkably realistic creations.
The different sections of the museum guide us, thanks to the characters represented, through different thematic settings, such as sport, music, politics or cinema. Some of the characters you will be able to see are the Dalai Lama, the Beatles or Lenin. However, Madame Tussauds is heavily committed to the present, so you will also be able to see wax figures of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss or Kylie Minogue, to mention just a few.
A key part of the tour is the terrifying Chamber of Horrors. A space you should not approach if you are in any way impressionable. Amazing scenes of torture and executions such as that of Marie Antoinette on the guillotine stand beside serial killers and psychopaths. Victorian London has here its great symbol in the figure of Jack the Ripper.
Finally, in the section called “Spirit of London” you will get into a typical London taxi that will take you from the dark times of the plague and the Great Fire of 1666 through to the explosion of light of the 1960s.
In 2006, the neighbouring Planetarium was remodelled and Madame Tussauds presented the new show in it, called The Wonderful World of Stars, created by the prestigious Aardman animation company. The producer of films such as Wallace and Gromit or Chicken Run take us through stars and galaxies to tell the store of characters such as Marilyn Monroe or Mohammed Ali from the point of view of some space creatures. The show, full of visual effects, is included in the price of the visit.
You will never have a better time with wax. Do not miss the visit to this museum; it will be a great experience.
