The People’s Revolt at the Tower of London

Last updated: 29 July 2023

On a wet night in East London, at the city’s most famous castle (and infamous prison), a rumbling is afoot, The People’s Revolt is underway! An immersive and fully interactive experience at the Tower of London inspired by The Peasant’s Revolt of 1381.  

Throughout the day of my People’s Revolt experience, I received text messages and notifications from the secret messaging system, Signal. The multiple updates provided insight into the ongoing attacks, movements, and communication of other rebels and delivered details of our planned meeting point later in the evening.  The updates primed us for our revolutionary cause.  

The Signal system issued me a code name, and from that point on, I was to be known as FlagrantScale. Under a cloud of secrecy, I told family and friends I was “working late”, but instead I made my way to our meeting point and tried to catch the eye of my contact.

My handler and I exchange glances in a crowded public place near Tower Hill. He was sweaty, jittery with nerves. An inconspicuous earpiece discreetly running under his jacket collar and into his ear. I moved closer, muttered something about the weather, he acknowledged my coded message and responded with the anticipated reply. The first step was complete.

He told me that tonight was the night we’d storm the castle and open the Tower’s drawbridge to let in 80,000 comrades to seize Lord Chancellor Simon Sudbury, for his greedy ambitions and the dreaded poll tax he imposed. 

I glanced around and noticed others attempting to remain inconspicuous which only made their presence more salient to my newly trained eye. I noticed one of them wink at me, followed by a discreet nod. They were clearly rebels to my cause. The group of like minded strangers huddled closer together and obtained for further instructions. Once the information was shared, a quick command was issued and we dispersed as quickly as we came together.  

This was my cell. My team. My comrades. Our handler issued high-visibility jackets. Our plan was to hide in plain sight, we’re disguised as construction workers and gain access to the Tower via an unmarked service entrance.  The plan was genius in its simplicity, it worked a treat. Suddenly we found ourselves in the bowels of the Tower and were met by our rebel leader, let’s call her Johanna.

It was at this point in the experience that our actions and choices would have a decisive impact on the outcome. The best advice is to let go of your inhibitions and fears of looking stupid. In these types of interactive experiences you get what you put into it.

The People’s Revolt

Johanna asked for volunteers for the role of an Enforcer, which was described as a skilled negotiator to “deceive” the guards. I put my hand up and I was tossed a long red wool coat.  It was a snug fit but it did the job.  Making the most of my time at the Tower, I also put my hand up to be a PC hacker, I was definitely playing to my strengths.

Quickly and decisively mini teams were established. One group was labelled Active and given the task of traversing across the Tower under the cover of darkness, we needed to remain in the cover of, and manoeuvre through, the shadows to make our way to the Control Room. The other group formed an angry mob who was in search of Simon Sudbury. My best tip is to choose your role wisely.  

We commenced our missions, with a clear direction of our objectives, and some idea of what lay ahead.  A heavy metal door swung open and we’re suddenly in the moat of the Tower of London.  I gasped.  I  instantly forgot everything I was supposed to do.  Since living in London I’d walked around the moat for years but never set foot on the sacred soil. I won’t be forgetting it any time soon! I am quickly snapped back to reality because there was no time to linger, a revolution was underway and I have to use my powers of persuasion to distract the guard on duty to get my teammates from the moat and into the Castle.  

Success!

We entered the Castle via a drawbridge opposite the Thames. A ‘guard’ spotted my red coat and I was instantly singled out. My coat didn’t button up so I was given a dressing down in front of all my clandestine comrades for poor attire.   I think it’s fair to say that now more than ever I’d make a terrible spy. I can’t think of a better way than to flirt my way out of it. I wink at my ‘guard’ who fortunately plays along.  Phew!  

My comrades and I infiltrated the Castle together, we discreetly peeled off into our smaller teams and went our separate ways. My group of 4 followed Johanna through the Tower at a light jog.

It wasn’t long before I regretted wearing the thick heavy red coat as I began to overheat.  We transverse across the castle and stuck to the shadows and took cover in alcoves, under walls, and behind trees. Stealthiness was the key with nimble mobility being the other and we did anything to stay out of sight. I felt like I’m in an augmented reality game, a cross between Assassin’s Creed and Hit Man. We had a mission to achieve but no idea if we’d actually be able to pull it off.

We stopped briefly to let our little cell regroup.  I took a breath and admire my surroundings.  It hit me like a truck, I’m actually inside The Tower of London after dark and wow, it’s something special. The way the light hit the ramparts, the grounds were impeccable, the buildings in pristine condition for a 1,000 year old castle! I wanted to snap a picture to capture this moment but there was no time, we had to keep moving.  

Along the way, we’re challenged with mini-missions to tackle. Crack the mathematical code, hack the computer, persuade or threaten to get the codes we needed in the hope of lifting the drawbridge to let our comrades storm the castle.  It had all the markings and suspense of a thriller movie playing out in real life.

Time passed incredibly fast and it wasn’t long before we met up with the remainder of our original cell who have cornered and confronted Sudbury for his ill deeds.  He was as slippery and slimy as you’d expect, but no real surprises there! He dodged verbal bullets left and right as though he was related to Neo from the Matrix.

I won’t spoil the ending for anyone if you’re planning to attend, but you do have the power to change the course of history (your history that is!)

Whether the People’s Revolt experience is a success or a failure for you is in the hands of you and your cell.  Raise the drawbridge and let in your 80,000 comrades, hold the leaders to account to the public, it’s all in your hands.

The Aftermath

We escaped the Tower and took ‘refuge’ in a nearby darkened restaurant. We met Raven, our IT guy, handler and author of the Signal messages we’ve received all night on our phones.  He talked us through our failed/successful coup and kept spirits high.  

We bid our comrades adieu with a sly nod, a touch of the nose or a secret handshake and disappear into the night, as discreetly as we arrived.  

The Essentials

• When: Selected dates 3-21 October 2017 (6pm – 8pm)
• Where: Tower of London, EC3N 4AB
• Nearest Tube: Tower Hill
• Age: 18+
• Duration: ~ 90 minutes
• Cost: £25.50/£23 (adult/concession)
• Tickets: Historic Royal Palaces (not longer available)

Disclaimer: We partnered with Historic Royal Palaces for this immersive experience in exchange for a review, we were not financially compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are solely our own.