Madame Tussauds

Marie Tussaud learned her craft the hard way, modelling wax death masks of guillotine victims during the French Revolution, reportedly sifting through severed heads to capture likenesses of the fallen aristocracy she had once served as an art tutor at the French court. She brought her skills and a travelling exhibition to Britain in 1802, spending decades touring the country with her collection before finally settling it permanently in London in 1835; the museum has occupied its current Marylebone Road building since 1884.

The wax-modelling techniques Tussaud pioneered over two centuries ago — built up in layers around a sculpted core and finished with real hair and glass eyes for maximum realism — remain essentially unchanged in the workshop that still produces new figures for the attraction today, a genuine, unbroken thread connecting the current museum to its grim, revolutionary-era origins.

Today's galleries mix uncannily lifelike waxworks of British royalty, Hollywood stars, sporting heroes and historical figures from Churchill to the Tudors, arranged for close-up photographs rather than the roped-off distance of a traditional museum — visitors are actively encouraged to pose alongside the figures rather than simply observe them.

Recreations of red-carpet premieres, a Star Wars-themed zone and a Marvel superhero experience sit alongside more sombre tableaux drawn from Tussaud's own origins, including surviving death masks from the Revolution displayed in a chamber recalling her earliest, darkest work — a striking contrast to the glossy celebrity culture filling the rest of the museum.

The museum sits on Marylebone Road, close to Baker Street station, and gets extremely busy with families and tour groups, particularly during school holidays — booking a timed entry slot online in advance is strongly recommended over turning up on spec.

Allow at least two hours to see the full range of galleries and themed zones, and check current opening times before visiting since these vary seasonally; combine with a stop at the nearby Regent's Park or Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street if making a day of the neighbourhood.