Dickens World Review

It was the Worst of times... It was the worst of times!!!

A huge disappointment for any age. Clever Dickensian Buildings and layout... and that's about it..



The staff and 'actors' were pleasant enough, though I had a bad feeling when we walked in and were confronted with a lass in a 'Nancy' type dress, leaning obviously very bored, against a barrel and not meeting anyone's eyes!



There was a hugely embarrassing abridged 'production' of' A Christmas Carol'. Which involved 'actors' moving around, miming to a recorded PA talkover, while gesticulating weakly. I was so embarrassed for them I spent most of the time with a sickly grin on my face while staring at the floor.

After this hideous show we thought we'd explore the upper level... long empty corridors with the odd speaker transmitting Dickensian type voices (with very 21st c. accents) the odd plasticky wooden beam and all leading nowhere! A pub, a gift shop and the entrance to the movie attraction (which we decided to give a miss I'm afraid, so can't comment on it).



The boat 'ride' through Old London Town was boring, uninspiring, unimaginative and once again embarrassing. I cringe when I think of foreign visitors coming to this 'attraction' (I use the term loosely).. It reflects very poorly on British invention and entertainment; Quite good sets of buildings and a cemetery but all completely empty of anything except about 3 bad and unmoving figures, an opening coffin lid and the odd audio quote from a Dickens story... Oh... there was a chimney sweep dummy popping his head out of a chimney.. A highlight I'm sure.. but I missed it.

Even the warning about getting wet was a let down... I think I may have felt a couple of drops on my left hand, but I could be mistaken. (Other members of the family did get nearly a cupful over them though).



The haunted house exhibit was short, boring and samey and had a poor embarrassed member of staff running around to 'scare' people, with his head (thankfully-for us and him) covered with a sack, with holes cut out for his eyes.



Overall, my family and I found it quite amusing in its awfulness! Lucky really, considering we had got up at the crack of dawn for a coachride all the way from Watford that morning. Thank goodness for a very amusing coach driver who made the journey there and back friendly and fun... Ten out of Ten for Reynolds Coaches of Watford.. Zero out of ten for 'Dickens World'.. I would imagine that the great man is probably turning in his grave as I type!!