Shunt Vaults

Ouch! With head still spinning from last night's meet at the Shunt Vaults (thanks for a great night, Trusted Places!) I shall attempt to separate fact from fantasy. It'll be tough going though.

This place is odd. Very odd. If you were to hit London in search of the elephant man, the bearded lady, Siamese twins and the Amazing Reptile Man from Deepest Utchichudo, this is where you should look first. It's like a recreation - a spookily authentic one at that - of the venue for a Victorian freak show which, historically, may well have been held in vaults like these. Hurdy-gurdy fairground music completes the effect. The only thing missing is the freaks (no sir, before you suggest it, I ain't no bearded lady) but Rob's review below demonstrates that freaks do sometimes make an appearance.

Loved the drollness of the staff. One on the door offered to wave the 5 entrance fee if I gave her my springbok handbag. Later on, the donation by one of our party of four tickets to see Meatloaf at Wembley Arena was handled in a enviably deadpan manner by the female DJ. There wasn't many people about when we arrived circa 6.30pm on a Friday, but the place gradually filled to a comfortable level. Through the gloaming, I even spotted people playing table football.

One last thing... there was some talk last night about this place closing down once the lease runs out in the summer. Can anyone confirm or clarify that?