Madame Tussauds

Founded by seminal French artist Marie Tussaud, this iconic wax museum represents the first stop for many tourists on their grand tour of London. From the awe and wonder of King Kong to the influential brilliance of Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, Madame Tussauds is home to all kinds of curious waxworks. While Madame Tussauds is now a global brand with branches found all around the world from Blackpool to Shanghai, the London branch was the first. Built in the late 19th century, Madame Tussauds on Marylebone Road opened in 1884 and was an instant triumph.

Since its grand opening, the museum has endured hardship alongside sustained periods of success. It suffered fire damage in 1925 and also German bombing in the early 1940s. Despite this, however, the popular museum persevered and is now thought to be one of the city’s most well-loved landmarks.

• Marie Tussaud’s first wax sculpture was of French Enlightenment philosopher, Francois Voltaire in 1777.
  
• Revered Catholic Saint, Mother Teresa, once turned down the offer of having a waxwork made of her. She was the only person ever to do so.
  
• Marie Tussaud was imprisoned during the French Revolution. Her craft didn’t go to waste though -during her incarceration she made masks of executed nobles.
  
• It takes around six months and $45,000 for a Madame Tussaud waxwork sculpture to be made.
  
• In Madame Tussauds museums all over the world, maintenance teams are employed to keep all the sculptures shipshape.
  
• Madame Tussauds featured in Jackie Chan’s film, Shanghai Knights.