The attraction was originally a wax exhibition of dark history, consisting of themed tableaux under the London Bridge station arches.

From the late 1980s to mid 90s, it evolved to feature walkthrough historical shows, such as the Great Fire of London and Jack the Ripper, during which time it was owned by the Kunick Leisure Group.

The show incorporates events such as the Black Death and the Gunpowder Plot, and includes characters such as "The Torturer", "The Plague Doctor", and "The Judge".

[3] The original London Dungeon opened in 1974 as an exhibition through dark British history, operating as a free-flow walkthrough attraction.

This saw the arrival of Judgment Day, a water dark ride that began with visitors entering a mock trial to be sentenced to death, then boarding a boat through Traitor's Gate to their execution.

Many of the original horror tableaux were refurbished as part of a new ransacked village scene, at the start of the ride, and the finale included a lift into the unknown, followed by a turntable and a backwards drop.

The original story at the top of the drop was of an executioner with an axe, but this was later changed to a firing squad, that shot, just as guests plunged backwards.

Bloody Mary: Killer Queen opened in 2010 in place of the Fire of London segment, and selected a random audience member to be publicly burned as a "heretic" using smoke effects.

The last Tooley Street tour took place on 31 January 2013, and contained the following sections: The Labyrinth of the Lost; The Great Plague; Surgery: Blood and Guts; The Torture Chamber; The Courtroom; Bedlam; Traitor: Boat Ride to Hell; Sweeney Todd; Vengeance 5D; Jack the Ripper; Bloody Mary: Killer Queen; Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom.

By contrast, in 2009, Rick Steves described the London Dungeon as "just a highly advertised, overpriced haunted house" and an "amateurish attraction" in his book on the city.