History
The Tussauds Group can trace its history back to the 1700s. See the timeline below or jump to a particular year:
1800 | 1900 | 2000
2005
Alton Towers opens Rita: Queen of Speed, Europe's fastest roller coaster. Thorpe Park adds two major new thrill rides, Slammer & Rush. Warwick Castle builds the world's largest Trebuchet. The Tussauds Group is purchased by Dubai International Capital (DIC).
2004
Madame Tussauds opens The Spider-Man attraction. Alton Towers introduces a spinning roller coaster. Chessington World of Adventures opens a new £6 million investment in Land of Dragons, designed specifically for younger children. Madame Tussauds London opens "Chamber Live" an interactive walk-through experience.
2003
Thorpe Park opens Nemesis Inferno. Alton Towers opens the new Splash Landings Hotel, indoor Water Park and 500-seater conference centre.
The British Airways London Eye is granted planning permission for 25 years.
2002
AIR - a £7million world-first 'flying' rollercoaster opens at Alton Towers, and for the families, there`s a new ice show utilising special effects and illusions. Thorpe Park launches Colossus, the World`s First 10 looping rollercoaster, a £7 million pound investment.
Chessington World of Adventures has 3 new action adventures for all the family - the Vampire roller coaster, Tomb Blaster an interactive laser ride mission and Dennis` Madhouse a fun filled foam ball firing frenzy for younger children.
Warwick Castle opens the Mill and Engine House, allowing guests to discover the impact electricity generation had on Victorian life at the Castle.
Madame Tussaud`s London opens a special temporary attraction "GOAL!" to celebrate England`s qualification in the World Cup 2002.
Madame Tussaud`s Amsterdam has a 4 million Euro facelift.
2001
British Airways London Eye celebrates its first anniversary. In the first twelve months, over 3.5million people visited the Eye, making it the number one paid-for attraction in the UK.
Thorpe Park launches the thrill trio Vortex, Zodiac and Detonator.
Chessington opens the Trail of the Kings where visitors can get 'up close' to the Gorilla Family and our Big Cats.
The Tussauds Group acquires Heide Park, Northern Germany's leading theme park.
2000
Following successful seasons in Australia and Singapore, Madame Tussaud`s Touring Exhibition is established permanently at The Peak Tower in Hong Kong.
New attractions - Beanoland, Hex and Tidal Wave - open at Chessington World of Adventures, Alton Towers and Thorpe Park respectively.
Madame Tussaud`s New York opens in Manhattan on 42nd Street in November.
The world's tallest observation wheel, the British Airways London Eye, opens on the South Bank of the river Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament. The Tussauds Group manages and operates this unique attraction.
1999
Madame Tussaud`s Las Vegas opens at the new Venetian Hotel in July.
1998
Oblivion, the world`s first vertical drop roller coaster, opens at Alton Towers. The Tussauds Group`s parent company Pearson plc sells its 40% stake in Port Aventura, and The Tussauds Group ceases managing the park`s operations.
The Tussauds Group acquires Thorpe Park, the south east England based theme park from RMC.
After twenty years as part of Pearson plc, The Tussauds Group is acquired by Charterhouse Development Capital. Charterhouse, a leading private equity firm, specialises in backing experienced management teams in quality companies with growth potential.
1997
The Ripsaw ride is launched at Alton Towers. Madame Tussaud`s Touring Exhibition opens for a limited season in Melbourne, Australia.
1996
The Alton Towers Hotel opens - the first ever hotel to be designed and built by The Tussauds Group. New £1 million Chamber of Horrors opens at Madame Tussauds in London.
1995
Port Aventura opens in Spain. The Tussauds Group is the largest shareholder with 40% and manages the £300 million theme park; 2.7 million people visit in the first year.
1994
A new attraction: Kingmaker - A Preparation For Battle, opens at Warwick Castle.
Nemesis, the UK's favourite roller coaster, opens at Alton Towers.
1993
The Tussauds Group Studios move to new premises in West London.
1991
A new Madame Tussaud`s Amsterdam moves to a new location on Dam Square.
1990
1987
Alton Towers is acquired for £60 million.
Chessington Zoo re-opens as Chessington World of Adventures following an £18 million investment.
1986
Warwick Castle's Victorian Rose Garden, first laid down in 1868, is restored to its original design and opened by HRH The Princess of Wales.
1982
A new attraction, A Royal Weekend Party 1898, opens at Warwick Castle.
1978
Madame Tussaud`s Ltd is acquired by S. Pearson and Son, now Pearson plc. Chessington Zoo, owned by Pearson, becomes another Tussaud`s attraction.
1977
Laserium - evening laser light concerts - opens at The London Planetarium. Closed 1990.
1976
Tolgus Tin (a tin streaming plant in Cornwall) acquired. Opens as a museum in 1979, sold in 1980.
1973
Wookey Hole Caves and Mill in Somerset acquired. Management buyout sale in 1989.
1970
Madame Tussauds opens in Amsterdam - the first to open outside London.
1958
The London Planetarium is opened by the Duke of Edinburgh on the former cinema site.
1940
Wartime bomb destroys the cinema and restaurant.
1928
Madame Tussauds re-opens with the addition of a cinema.
1926
Madame Tussauds becomes a limited company.
1925
Madame Tussauds is almost entirely destroyed by fire.
1900
1884
The attraction moves to a purpose-built building on its present site in Marylebone Road, London.
1850
Madame Tussaud dies aged 89.
1835
Madame Tussaud ends her touring years and sets up her attraction on its first permanent site in London's Baker Street.
1802
Marie, now Madame Tussaud, brings the collection to England and tours Britain for the next 33 years.
1800
1794
Curtius dies and Marie inherits his collection and some properties in Paris.
1770
Dr Curtius opens his wax museum in Paris.
1767
Marie moves to Paris with her mother who is housekeeper to Philippe Curtius, a doctor and wax modeller.
1761
Madame Tussaud is born Marie Grosholtz in Strasbourg, France.
London Planetarium

The London Planetarium, famous for its distinctive green dome and for being next to Madame Tussauds, will close this week to make way for a new celebrity-themed show opening in July. The Planetarium used to be an attraction in its own right, but in recent years has become simply a feature tacked onto the end of the waxworks tour, the original 45 minute show cut down to just over 10 minutes. The planetarium will be renamed 'The Auditorium' and will feature a show that "gets to the heart of celebrity", being produced in collaboration with animation house Aardman Productions.

Famous astronomer Sir Patrick Moore has called the decision "most regrettable", and many have commented that the change from space to celebrity is an unfortunate sign of our times.

To say 'farewell' to the planetarium, Tussauds have allowed free entry in its penultimate week, from 24th - 30th April. Visitors could enter through the group admissions entrance to see the show, running every twenty minutes. Unlike the queues for Madame Tussauds, which typically run right up the street, few people waited to see the planetarium show, even on the Saturday. The show, titled ''Journey to Infinity'', was projected onto the inside of the dome using Digistar 3 digital projectors. It told the story of space, starting from Earth and zooming out to reveal the other planets in the Solar System, the Milky Way, the other galaxies and the rest of the universe. It ended with an optimistic message suggesting that humans would continue to explore space, going further than ever before.

The London Planetarium opened in 1958 on the site of an old cinema that was destroyed in the second world war. Evening laser performances called 'Laserium' were held between 1977 and 1990. A £4.5 million redevelopment saw it relaunch in 1995 with a new 'Digistar II' monochromatic 3D projection system. This was upgraded to the full-colour 'Digistar 3' system in 2004 which is currently in use.

The planetarium at the also famous Royal Observatory in Greenwich has also been closed since September 2004, however this is due to re-open in 2007 having received a £15 million redevelopment programme. It will be three times the size of the old planetarium, and has received backing from Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees, and the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Professor John Brown.