-
ℹ️ Heads up...
This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.
York Dungeon
- Thread starter Tom
- Start date
Alexsutton
TS Member
York gets a helluva lot of tourists. I went to uni in York and the centre of town was always heaving busy every weekend.
When I went through the dungeon a few months ago our whole group was amused in the witch burning scene where the flame effects were hidden behind a 'Warning: Replace Bulb' message on the projector!
When I went through the dungeon a few months ago our whole group was amused in the witch burning scene where the flame effects were hidden behind a 'Warning: Replace Bulb' message on the projector!
I live in York, and we do get a lot of tourists here, the city centre is busy most days (well, seems to be whenever I'm in). Even though I've lived here all my life, I've only ever been to the dungeons once (and another time staying a night in there for charity, but that's something different 
) Agreed with the OP in that it definitely needs some other kind of draw to get more people in. It never seems to get many queues nowadays, but I can remember some years ago there would be queues out into the street quite often.
With the chav-fest nightclub next door now closed though, would be a perfect place for expansion if they were willing to put any money in.
) Agreed with the OP in that it definitely needs some other kind of draw to get more people in. It never seems to get many queues nowadays, but I can remember some years ago there would be queues out into the street quite often.With the chav-fest nightclub next door now closed though, would be a perfect place for expansion if they were willing to put any money in.
Adam James
TS Contributor
- Favourite Ride
- Wild Mouse, BPB
It appears there was a small fire at the York Dungeon on Thursday - thankfully it was averted prior to any serious damage occurring; http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9775947 ... ttraction/
JSG093
TS Member
Very old thread, but these recently posted 2001 and 2007 videos on YouTube brought back vivid memories of the only time I have visited York Dungeon in (I think) 2002.
And an old 1998 video from 2011-
I can find virtually nothing apart from these few grainy videos on YouTube, and I assume none of it is left due to the severe 2012 floods/general re-branding of the Dungeons. My recollection from 2002 is a bit lengthy than I anticipated but I hope it gives some context to the footage in these videos!
1 - Boat Yard Diorama (River Ouse?) - I have trouble remembering this but I think it was to do with the plague outbreak, featuring a boat yard set.
2 - Bricked In House Diorama (I think based on the 5 College Street Ghost Story) - A woman being bricked in alive at her house due to suspected plague infection. You would walk around the corner of the scene and the ghostly figure of the woman would pop up in a window and jump scare you.
3 - Plague House Diorama - Seen at 0:12 in the 1st video and start of 3rd video. You would wait in this area until the plague doctor burst through some doors and jump scared everyone.
4 - Plague Doctor - Seen at 0:14 in the 3rd video, although apart from the beginning doesn't seem to be actor driven. Typical plague doctor spiel with a fake body on a table. There was a static figure of a doctor in plague mask as seen in the video which was very creepy and would converse with the actor through a speaker. Afterwards the group would pass through a veil and go through a small graveyard scene.
5 - Witch Diorama - Seen at 0:38 in the 1st video.
6 - Witch on Stone Slab - Seen at 1:02 in the 1st video. I remember this differently from the video, a sign would ask you to place your hand on it and if she glowed it would mean you are a witch. There was a projection of a face that appeared in flames on the wall behind and said something.
7 - Drowned Witches - Seen at 1:19 in the 1st video. You would enter an area with a pool full of submerged 'witches'. A walkway for guests would be on one side and a stone arced bridge with an actor on the other. As the guy talked the body in the center of the pool would lunge upwards towards the crowd with a series of loud noises, which either the video does not do justice or more likely I was easily scared as a kid.
8 - Gorvik, new for 2002 - Seen at 4:04 in 2nd video - Walking underneath a ladder and around a corner, a viking actor would charge towards you. After he said some stuff he would ask you to wait in the corridor until the scene ahead reset, and try to get you to use one of those penny souvenir machines. Going into the room ahead there was a figure of a viking with a projected face, sat high up with his arm lent over a barrel with some bodies hanging next to him. At the end of his talk he would lift the severed head of an Anglo-Saxon out of the barrel and spray everyone with dyed water.
9 - Torture Chamber Dioramas - Seen at 1:42 in the 1st video and 2:38 in 3rd video. You were given the option to skip this section entirely. You walked across a rope bridge suspended above a pool in a cave of skulls, and then proceeded to a room with a series of dioramas including a guy being eaten by rats, someone being sawed through the stomach and someone on a big wheel on the wall that you were encouraged to spin.
10 - Guy Fawkes - Seen at 5:53 in the 2nd video and 3:06 in the 3rd video. You were led into a room where you would sit whilst a series of dioramas lit up behind scrims and recounted the story of Guy Fawkes's attempt to blow up the houses of parliament and his subsequent execution.
11 - Dick Turpin - Seen at 8:08 in the 3rd video - An actor would lead you to the front of a cell housing Dick Turpin, portrayed through a figure with projected face. A bell would start to toll and you were led through to the animated gallows diorama to witness his execution. After this you walked down a corridor past an animated figure of someone trying to escape there confinement in a sack and into the gift shop.
And an old 1998 video from 2011-
I can find virtually nothing apart from these few grainy videos on YouTube, and I assume none of it is left due to the severe 2012 floods/general re-branding of the Dungeons. My recollection from 2002 is a bit lengthy than I anticipated but I hope it gives some context to the footage in these videos!
1 - Boat Yard Diorama (River Ouse?) - I have trouble remembering this but I think it was to do with the plague outbreak, featuring a boat yard set.
2 - Bricked In House Diorama (I think based on the 5 College Street Ghost Story) - A woman being bricked in alive at her house due to suspected plague infection. You would walk around the corner of the scene and the ghostly figure of the woman would pop up in a window and jump scare you.
3 - Plague House Diorama - Seen at 0:12 in the 1st video and start of 3rd video. You would wait in this area until the plague doctor burst through some doors and jump scared everyone.
4 - Plague Doctor - Seen at 0:14 in the 3rd video, although apart from the beginning doesn't seem to be actor driven. Typical plague doctor spiel with a fake body on a table. There was a static figure of a doctor in plague mask as seen in the video which was very creepy and would converse with the actor through a speaker. Afterwards the group would pass through a veil and go through a small graveyard scene.
5 - Witch Diorama - Seen at 0:38 in the 1st video.
6 - Witch on Stone Slab - Seen at 1:02 in the 1st video. I remember this differently from the video, a sign would ask you to place your hand on it and if she glowed it would mean you are a witch. There was a projection of a face that appeared in flames on the wall behind and said something.
7 - Drowned Witches - Seen at 1:19 in the 1st video. You would enter an area with a pool full of submerged 'witches'. A walkway for guests would be on one side and a stone arced bridge with an actor on the other. As the guy talked the body in the center of the pool would lunge upwards towards the crowd with a series of loud noises, which either the video does not do justice or more likely I was easily scared as a kid.
8 - Gorvik, new for 2002 - Seen at 4:04 in 2nd video - Walking underneath a ladder and around a corner, a viking actor would charge towards you. After he said some stuff he would ask you to wait in the corridor until the scene ahead reset, and try to get you to use one of those penny souvenir machines. Going into the room ahead there was a figure of a viking with a projected face, sat high up with his arm lent over a barrel with some bodies hanging next to him. At the end of his talk he would lift the severed head of an Anglo-Saxon out of the barrel and spray everyone with dyed water.
9 - Torture Chamber Dioramas - Seen at 1:42 in the 1st video and 2:38 in 3rd video. You were given the option to skip this section entirely. You walked across a rope bridge suspended above a pool in a cave of skulls, and then proceeded to a room with a series of dioramas including a guy being eaten by rats, someone being sawed through the stomach and someone on a big wheel on the wall that you were encouraged to spin.
10 - Guy Fawkes - Seen at 5:53 in the 2nd video and 3:06 in the 3rd video. You were led into a room where you would sit whilst a series of dioramas lit up behind scrims and recounted the story of Guy Fawkes's attempt to blow up the houses of parliament and his subsequent execution.
11 - Dick Turpin - Seen at 8:08 in the 3rd video - An actor would lead you to the front of a cell housing Dick Turpin, portrayed through a figure with projected face. A bell would start to toll and you were led through to the animated gallows diorama to witness his execution. After this you walked down a corridor past an animated figure of someone trying to escape there confinement in a sack and into the gift shop.
Last edited: