Madame Tussauds

A visit to Madame Tussauds, London

Madame Tussauds London - Marylebone Street (off Baker Street)

Experience the glittering world of fame and be wowed as you mingle or interact with some of the world’s most famous figures.  Who would you like to meet?  As you journey down the red carpet start with a photoshoot…pose for the paparazzi before you come face to face with some of your favourite celebrities from the world’s of sport, music and royalty.
From France to Britain:     The lady who became known as Madame Tussaud was born as Marie Grosholtz. With roots dating back to the Paris of 1770, she learned her skills; modelling wax likenesses under the tutelage of her mentor, one Dr Philippe Curtius in the years leading up to the French revolution. 

high on the building housing the exhibits is a wall plaque with a bust relief of Madame Tussaud

At the tender age of 17 she became art tutor to  King Louis XVI’s sister at the Palace of  Versailles. During the French Revolution she was hastily forced to prove her allegience to the feudalistic nobles by making the death masks of executed aristocrats.
Madame Tussaud came to Britain in the early 19th Century alongside a travelling exhibition of revolutionary relics and effigies of public heroes and  rogues at a time when news was communicated largely by word of mouth.  Madame Tussaud’s exhibition was a kind of travelling newspaper, providing insight into global events.
In 1835 Madame Tussaud’s  exhibition established a permanent base in London as the Baker Street Bazaar. People paid sixpence to meet the biggest names of the day and in 1884 the attraction moved to its present site in Marylebone Road. 

facade of the building that houses the exhibits of Madame Tussauds

In the 20th century Madame Tussauds’ role began to change thanks to the rapid growth of both popular tabloid press and public literacy. It came through some major upheavals, surviving near destruction by fire (1925), earthquake (1931) and World War II ‘Blitz’ bombing (1940.)

the more popular view of Madame Tussauds in London, as seen walking towards the building from Baker Street Station

Today, Madame Tussauds combines its diverse history with the relentless glamour, intrigue and infamy of 21st century celebrity.  Some of Madame Tussauds’ original work and earliest relics are still on display in London, including the death masks she was forced to make during the French Revolution and the Guillotine that beheaded Marie Antoinette. You can marvel at what is possibly the earliest example of animatronics –‘Sleeping Beauty’ – a breathing likeness of Louis XV’s sleeping mistress Madame du Barry sculpted in 1763; the attraction’s oldest figure on display.
Open daily from 9.30am – 5.30pm. If you want to visit, it is as well that you book ahead as the queues can be very long (and tedious), especially in summer.
Nearest tube station: Baker Street – Bakerloo, Jubilee, Hammersmith & City, Circle & Metropolitan lines. ( you have a wide choice here). for more info on the tube lines, click here.
Train: Marylebone station (10 minute walk)

From Madame Tussaud’s you can take a ticket to ride on the Hop-On Hop-off buses that will take you on a magical tour of the city.