For several years, guests could laugh and scream their way through some of Staffordshire’s darkest moments in history in The Alton Towers Dungeon, a hilariously hideous journey that included a boat ride and five actor-led shows.
Fact File
- Location: The Towers Complex
- Boat Ride Manufacturer: Mack Rides
- Dungeon Masters:Â Merlin Magic Making
- Ride Type:Â Water Dark Ride & Walkthrough
- Traitors per Group:Â 27
- Traitors per Boat:Â 9
- Duration:Â 45 mins
- Opening Year: 2019 (23rd March)
- Closing Year: 2024 (3rd July)
The Alton Towers Dungeon was subject to an additional charge in order to experience, with the full experience taking approximately 45 minutes, combining interactive shows with cutting edge theming and technology.
The scenes featured were similar to those found in other Dungeons operated by Merlin Entertainments – along the way guests can expect to encounter:
The Judge
“FUN! THRILLS! LAUGHTER! All unforgivable in the eyes of the puritanical Justice of the Peace, the bombastic Bishop of Stafford! Take the stand in his courtroom and plead your case. In fact… it doesn’t matter, you are all peasants! GUILTY!”
The Black River Boat Ride
“You are guilty! So you are going on a little trip down the black river beneath Alton Towers. Step into the boat and take in the sights and… errr… smells of the Alton Towers Dungeons. Say hi to some of the Dungeons residents… don’t worry if they don’t wave… they’re a little tied up!”
The Torturer
“He has ways of making you talk… he has even more ways to make you SHUT UP! Take a seat in the Torturers chair and come face to face… or red hot poker to nostril with all the Torturers favourite devices. You’ll be screaming with laughter in no time at all.”
The Highwayman
“The most desperate, dashing and despicable highwayman needs hideouts all over the country. Who would have thought one would have been round the corner from Alton Towers? Pull up a chair and meet the friendly owners of the Welsh Harp Inn, nothing is TOO MUCH TROUBLE! You never know… Dick Turpin might just shoot by!”
The Plague Doctor
“For those of you who want to get knee deep… or even up to the elbows in the past, let me introduce you to the Plague Doctor. Gather round as we get to the GUTS of the bubonic plague, you could even get hands on! No experience necessary… must have a strong stomach!”
The Haunting
“Take shelter from the storm in an abandoned cottage. Have you wondered why the cottage is abandoned? What dark and terrible story can these walls tell? Don’t stay for too long… you never know who might appear out of the darkness!”
The building was first home to Around the World in Eighty Days in 1981, which followed the adventures of Phileas Fogg and his trip around the world. The boat ride took guests through exciting scenes, with each one set in a different country or city, including Holland, the UK, Burma, Egypt and the USA just to name but a few.
This ride was popular in its time, however as Talbot Street became The Land of Make Believe for the 1994 season, the ride was rethemed to Toyland Tours. The ‘Around the World’ scenes became that of a toy factory, but still followed the same route as its previous incarnation. The same ride system remained for its 2006 retheme into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride, although there was the notable addition of two Great Glass Elevator simulators which provided the attraction with a new finale.
The attraction last operated during the 2015 season, before remaining SBNO with all indicators pointing to its permanent closure.
When Merlin Attractions Operations Limited submitted a trademark application for ‘The Alton Towers Dungeon’ in June 2018, speculation began to mount that it would be located in the building that had most recently been home to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
This speculation continued once the Resort officially announced the addition of the attraction for 2019 in October of 2018, with signs of activity around the rumoured location. Following this announcement, signs appeared around the theme park seemingly hinting at the shows that would feature in the attraction – The Judge, The Torturer, The Plague Doctor, The Haunting, and The Highwayman.
With more details emerging in January 2019, it was confirmed that a boat ride would feature as part of the attraction, as good as confirming the location speculation of the previous months. These details also revealed that inspiration would be taken from local Staffordshire history.
On Tuesday 12th March 2019, the Resort held a special ‘Meet the Maker’ event to which TowersTimes and other enthusiast communities were invited, in order to discover some of the attraction’s secrets ahead of its grand opening.
The Alton Towers Dungeon opened at the start of the 2019 season on Saturday 23rd March to broadly positive feedback, with a lot of praise for the attraction’s cast. Although with some areas sparse on theming, such as the transitions between scenes, it was hoped that the Resort would continue to enhance the attraction as the season progressed. There were, however, no changes of note made to the attraction over its six years of operation.
Ahead of the start of the 2024 season, it was announced that The Alton Towers Dungeon was set to close during the summer in order for the space to be reimagined into a new Scarefest experience. The attraction was closed from 3rd July 2024, with Amigos in the Afterlife subsequently revealed to be the new Scarefest attraction that would replace it.
After the end of the 2024 season, on 2nd December, Alton Towers announced that The Alton Towers Dungeon would not return for 2025 following the investment that had been made into Amigos in the Afterlife.
Costumes
Although there was no need to submit a planning application for The Alton Towers Dungeon, some concept drawings of the costumes for the attraction’s inhabitants were released by the Resort.
Construction
Ahead of its grand opening, TowersTimes was invited to a special ‘Meet the Maker’ event to discover some of the secrets behind The Alton Towers Dungeon.
