At £21 a ticket for adults, there are cheaper—and more satisfying—history lessons available in London, but the Dungeon has been pulling in the punters for years. The mixture of theatre, gore, theme park rides and stories of the City’s past are an enduring attraction—although as many visitors seem to leave hating the experience as those who love it. The familiar tales of Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd and the Great Fire of London are retold via the guides, who in the best tradition of amateur dramatics pull out shy members of the crowd and embarrass them.

Given that you’re more likely to be scared walking around Trafalgar Square when it’s filled with drunken revellers, the only mystery here is why the Dungeon remains so popular. It operates a very complicated system of opening times and allocated slots so if you really want to go, head there as early as you can and hopefully the legendary queues won’t be too bad. Oh, and hide at the back if you don’t want to get picked on.