The grisly tour that uncovers the hidden gruesome history of Warwick
Dark Tourism is the flip-side to your more mainstream variety. Where in the latter, you would see the sights, go to a show, or possibly slow-cook yourself on the sand of a sunny beach, dark tourism is a bit different.
It mostly concerns going to places associated with the more morbid aspects of history - places associated with death or tragedy. Overseas you have the more extreme end with Nazi Extermination Camps or the Killing Fields of Cambodia. But the UK has its own variety.
Saddleworth Moor, where five murdered children were buried by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum, or the Bloody Sunday Museum in Northern Ireland would be examples of dark tourism destinations. Yet, there is a tour in Warwick that offers a similarly dark experience.
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For just £11 per adult, a 90 minute evening tour will take you around Warwick Castle to hear all of the hauntings and ghost stories. However, in spite of the dark subject matter, visitors who took the tour left rave reviews on Trip Advisor, saying it was very child friendly.
The tour takes visitors to the Lord Leycester Hospital to learn about the murder that took place right behind it. They also hear the legendary tale of the demonic dog that stalks the streets of Warwick.
The tour then follows the path of the Great Fire of Warwick, from where it started to where it ended and visits Warwick's tallest building to learn about which famous characters from history are buried there. The tour also invites visitors to discover the deadly murderers and criminals who were trialed and executed in Warwick.
One participant said the tour was “a great thing to do of an evening - if you're a local or visiting Warwick.
“You not only get to explore some of the town's oldest and most beautiful streets and sites, but you learn some interesting stories from across the centuries brought to life in a very entertaining and theatrical way.”
Others said the tour was electric wheelchair friendly and that their guide was “knowledgeable and humorous throughout.”
Another said “Super easy walk about Warwick to see and hear things you would not hear on a normal tourist talk. If you like the minutia of life, you will enjoy this tour.
“The guide is an enterprising young man who has done all the research to put this together. He is very knowledgeable and happy to answer questions he can and say when he doesn’t know, which is appreciated.”
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