To be found in the Norfolk seaside town of Great Yarmouth is a little treasure trove of good old fashioned entertainment. In business for over half a century, for the nominal fee of only £3 you can treat yourself to a tour of the Louis Tussauds House of Wax. With more than 150 life-sized figures of the rich and famous to admire, the museum is a great place to waste away a few hours admiring the craftsmanship and taking photos alongside dozens of famous faces.
Except you are not allowed to take photos and you’re not going to be fooling anyone into thinking you’ve met a celebrity. Apparently “these waxworks are best enjoyed as snapshots in time” and indeed the whole place is very much like that. Stuck somewhere between the 70s and 80s, it’s like stepping back in time as visitors enter the old house painted in white and blue.
A few years back Louis Tussauds, which is named after Madame Tussaud’s great grandson, achieved something of a cult status online because so many of the wax models look nothing like the people they are supposed to be. The attraction has since gained the reputation of being the worst waxwork museum in the whole of Britain if not the World.
Owner Peter Hayes, who is a man in his eighties, still claims that thousands of visitors come to visit the museum, perhaps legions of people looking for a laugh at the truly terrible models. Whatever the reason people come to see the show, Hayes has been making a tidy living for over fifty years. However, having found no one to take over and with both Hayes and his wife being in their eighties and looking to retire, it looks as if this much loved seaside attraction is in danger of shutting its doors for good.
Can you tell who the the six famous faces above are?
Prince Charles, Chris Tarrant, Kevin Keegan, Tom Jones, Princess Diana, George Best