As guests take a seat facing inwards they have time to observe the walls lined with shelves of artefacts and flickering candles, before a lap bar is lowered and two members of staff perform final checks and leave. The doors close behind them and the machine begins to whir as smoke starts to pour from the branch, whilst the lights flash accompanied by building atmospheric music.
Oddly it then seems as though one side of the room is being pulled towards the branch whilst the other is pushed away. The sense of movement becomes greater and greater, until guests feel as though they are being repeatedly turned upside down. With the room then returning to its starting state, the branch is lit-up with twinkling lights as the curse is seemingly lifted.
It was in the winter of , when a carriage was travelling through the area woods near to Alton Towers, Staffordshire. On it rode a local aristocrat, returning home from a grand banquet. Through the mist and driving rain a figure appeared in the road, the coach stopped! It was an old woman shrouded in rags, an involuntary shudder went through the Earls body. She pleaded with the Earl to spare her a farthing. But when the rich Earl mocked her request she placed a wicked curse on him and his family….
During freak weather conditions of the following night, a branch was struck off the tree and true to the Witches prophesy a member of the Earls family suddenly and mysteriously… DIED. The Earl immediately ordered his guards to chain the tree up to prevent further misfortune. He dragged the fallen branch back to Alton Towers, where he conducted scientific experiments in an attempt to banish the evil curse.
Now As Alton Towers uncover a secret vault the branch is found! Before the introduction of Hex, the Armoury was used as the Towers Gift Shop whilst the Octagon was solely restored for the addition of the attraction.
The transition both internally and externally between the ruins and the Vault is almost seamless as you exit the Octagon into a fully supported stone tunnel, whilst outside its building is disguised to publicly accessible areas by a facade. It is possible to visit the real chained oak, which is situated close to the resort. The year was and the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury approached his home, Alton Towers, in his horse drawn carriage.
An old beggar, tired and haggard, asked the Earl if he could spare her some change. The Earl cruelly denied the beggar and instead orders his carriage to drive forward, leaving her penniless and alone. Spurned by the arrogant and uncharitable Earl, the beggar placed a curse on the Earl and his family. That very same night, a storm crashed through Alton and a single branch, struck by lightning, fell from the tree.
The Earl, filled with guilt, grief and anger, ordered the tree be chained up to avoid any more branches from falling and the fallen branch be taken back to the Towers. The branch was then locked and chained in a vault, hidden within the Towers. The story of the Chained Oak is one that is known throughout Staffordshire and the tree itself is real, available to visit nearby.
The legend follows the same story, the Earl of Shrewsbury dismissing a poor beggar, only to be cursed in return. The only difference is that the legend ends there without the Earl then taking the branch back and becoming obsessed with the curse.
There are a few variations but all in all, Alton Towers have stayed very true to the local legend. At the end of the day, the heart of Alton Towers is the towers itself which is so rich in history that it would be criminal not to draw inspiration from it. The entrance to Hex uses the Towers and looks grand, gothic and intimidating as you head up the steps between the Talbot hound statues into what used to be the armoury.
The queue line zigzags through a long narrow room, dimly lit throughout, as you make your way towards the back of the room where a screen counts the number of riders it counts down as people go through the turnstiles.
TV screens tell of the restoration project currently going on inside the towers as you walk past recovered artefacts, furniture, paintings and statues of Earls who have lived in the Towers. It is all very well done with scaffolding, dust sheets and labels making it really feel like you have just become a member of the restoration team.
On a restoration tour, you will be examining the legend of the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, the most interesting of the tales discovered within the Towers. A painting of the Earl is uncovered and lit up as you listen to the voiceover before the huge doors in front of you swing open, and you can enter the next section of the Towers. In this room, you watch a video of the story behind Hex.
Even now, it is still enough to capture my attention and keep me interested, entertained and excited despite the fact I know the script word for word. The story telling in Hex is excellent and this video helps to really bring the legend to life with its dramatisation of the story. It is fairly long for a preshow with some questionable acting but the music really sets the scene, the visuals are brilliant and the storyline really captures your imagination.
Once the preshow is over, you enter into an octagonal room with stairs at the front and a huge stone pillar in the middle. This is where the story takes a modern twist. TV screens around the room burst into life with a video bringing the legend to current times.
A recent and fictional excavation and restoration effort has uncovered the hidden vault behind an old bookcase. The vault, undiscovered since the 15th Earl sealed it, houses the branch that fell on that fateful autumn night. Before the video has a chance to finish, it cuts out and strange occurrences begin around you. The theatrics in this room are great. With such simple effects with lighting, sound and blasts of air, the atmosphere really turns dark, sinister and supernatural in this room with fear starting to sink in.
Hex builds upon the legend, with one of the branches being taken to the Towers for experimentation and buried for nearly years, only found during recent renovation work. Riders are led to this branch, which is located in the centre of the Madhouse. Navigation Main page Random page Help Style guide. Portals World records Roller coasters Coaster types Ride types.
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