Though an often overlooked tourist attraction in London, Madame Tussuads on Baker Street is actually one of the most historic institutions in the city. Dating back all the way to 1835, Madame Tussuads has grown into not necessarily the most historically rich museum in London, but certainly one of the most fun and crowd pleasing. This unique – sometimes creepy – museum has wowed guests of the Piccadilly London West End for years, and showcases lifelike replica models of influential figures, celebrities and fictional characters across five floors in Baker Street.
So if you’re a guest of London West End stay packages and considering a visit to this one of a kind museum, here are some of the unique stories and facts that you might not get a chance to learn about when perusing its many wax models.
A Brief History Of Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussuad – or Marie Tussuad – learnt wax modelling from her mother’s employer, a doctor skilled in wax modelling for medical purposes. After learning the trade and a lucky break as an art tutor for the sister of King Louis XVI at the Palace of Versailles, she inherited much of her mentors collection of wax models and toured them around Europe. In the 1830s, Marie was stranded in London due to the Napoleonic Wars, and eventually settled down in Baker Street where she started her museum. It is only by chance then, that London is home to one of the largest wax museums in the world!
There’s A Waxwork of Madame Tussaud
8 years before her death, Madame Tussaud completed a wax model of herself and this is still available to see today in the museum. Though technology allows for much more lifelike wax models today, the model of Marie is astounding in the context of the time it was made.
Waxworks Are Larger Than The Real Thing
Though guests of the Piccadilly London won’t be able to tell the difference, most of the wax models in Madame Tussauds are about 2% bigger than the real thing. The reason for this is that during the process of creation, the wax used will melt and so the larger size accommodates for this reduction.
There Are 26 Madame Tussauds Across The World
With museums across Europe, the US, Australasia and Asia, the modern Madame Tussauds is a global phenomenon and draws in millions of tourists each year. This doesn’t take away from the fact that the London outlet is the original and as you can see from the above, is steeped in a lot of fascinating history. Guests of discount hotels in West End London can visit Madame Tussauds between 10 am and 3 pm on weekdays and 10 am and 4 pm on weekends.
Statues Are Regularly Groomed
Makeup touchups and hair washes are a regular act of maintenance for the models, each of which takes a painstaking 6 months to complete. Alongside their maintenance, its worth pointing out that many of the real life contemporary figures located within the museum had their clothes specifically picked out by the people they depict!
