Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein

While most literary tourism to Bath is focused around Jane Austen’s connections with the city, Bath was also home to Mary Shelley who lived just a couple of blocks away from the museum from 1816 to 1817.

During her time in Bath, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, which is often credited as the world’s first work of science fiction.

What to see at Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein has exhibits about Shelley’s life and it includes original artefacts including letters written by Shelley.

The attraction includes exhibits about Shelley’s famous 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus. These exhibits include displays about the novel and its legacy including numerous film and television adaptations and Frankenstein’s portrayal in popular culture.

There are also several interactive and multi-sensory exhibits including a 2.4m- (8 ft)-tall recreation of Frankenstein’s monster, based on the description in Shelley’s novel. The attraction also features darkened rooms with special effects including bespoke scents.

Although the museum’s branding and the interactive exhibits may lead you to compare it with tacky haunted house attractions such as the London or York Dungeons, the museum is more high brow than you would expect and it has exhibits with a focus on Mary Shelley’s life and legacy.

Other activities at Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein

In addition to the main attraction, Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein also operates several activities that come at an additional charge. These include an escape room and the Body in a Suitcase game.

The Frankenstein-themed Victor’s Lair Escape Room is another feature of the attraction. Here you have one hour to complete a 14 challenge puzzle-based quest. There is an additional charge to visit the escape room.

The Body in a Suitcase game is a murder mystery-style game designed for groups of up to six people where you have 45 minutes to solve the riddle and identify whose body is inside the suitcase.

Visiting Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein is in a Grade II listed building on Gay Street in the northern end of the city centre just a couple of doors up the road from the Jane Austen Centre. From here most points of interest no more than a 10-minute walk away and it is only a two-minute walk to The Circus and No. 1 Royal Crescent. The Fashion Museum, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy and the Museum of East Asian Art are less than a five-minute walk from here.

Admission to Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein is £15.50 and there is an additional £15 charge for the Body in a Suitcase game. Entry to the escape room starts at £25 including admission to the attraction.

Although this is not in the same vein as haunted house-style attractions in London or York, many of the exhibits have a horror theme, which includes darkened rooms with audio and visual effects that may not be suitable for young children. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

The historic nature of the building means that it is not suitable for visitors requiring wheelchair access.

Allow an hour to visit the attraction.