picture of Urchins & Pennies Colour Credit National Trust

Penny Dreadful Halloween Experience at Lanhydrock

First year of the Penny Dreadful Halloween Experience at Lanhydrock

Lanhydrock will be hosting an indoor, walk-through Halloween experience for the first time this year from Saturday 15 October to Monday 31 October. Based on Penny Dreadfuls, the sensational Victorian adventure and horror stories that were once sold on the streets for a penny, visitors will be able to meet a host of creepy characters who come to life in the old nursery suite.

Penny Dreadfuls were the soap stories of their time. Chock-full of dashing highwaymen, swashbuckling pirates, murderous lords, gravediggers and ghosts these tales of high adventure, romance and skulduggery were immensely popular, with workers regularly pooling their money to purchase the latest edition.

Lanhydrock is now the subject of its very own Penny Dreadful, a terrible tale of a haunted treasure and a terrible curse placed upon those who seek it. During the Halloween experience, brave visitors of all ages can purchase a copy with their own real Victorian penny, before venturing inside to seek out the treasure and the villainous rogues who guard it.

“It’s an authentic and fun way to celebrate Halloween”, says Richard Levy, Visitor Operations and Experience Manager “seeing gothic stories come to life in a Victorian home setting is the perfect way to get into the spirit of the season. There's a dark and spooky flourish indoors and something different outdoors on the cycle trail. If families want to dress up for the occasion and spook us back, then that would be great too”.

There are more opportunities to bring a little of the Penny Dreadful experience home. Print artist Lizzie Mee will be running bookable lino cutting workshops for those with a little creative flair to imagine their own Penny Dreadful character and make their very own ghoulish prints. To book go online to Lanhydrock’s webisite.

The Stables tea-room and Park Café will be full of themed treats for hungry adventurers and there are Halloween goodies for all ages available in the Plant Centre and gift shop. If that isn’t enough, visitors can take on the challenge of an outdoor ghost hunt along the family Lodge cycle trail. Free trail sheets can be collected from the Cycle hire building.

For more information and to book the lino cutting workshop, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/lanhydrock.