A Volcanic Spectacle Arrives in London
London's Royal Docks has become home to one of the most dramatic events in the city's cultural calendar - The Last Days of Pompeii: The Immersive Exhibition has erupted into ImmerseLDN at the Excel Waterfront, where it will remain active until 15th March 2026.
This spectacular production marks the third London offering from Spanish creative company Madrid Artes Digitales (MAD), following their previous exhibitions about Tutankhamun and The Legend of the Titanic. The current installation dedicates itself to recreating the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius that buried the Roman town of Pompeii in 79 AD.
An Overwhelming Sensory Experience
From the moment visitors enter the exhibition space, they're confronted with what can only be described as sensory overload. A thunderously loud and doomy soundtrack permeates every room, setting an apocalyptic tone that some might find excessive for the more educational aspects of the display.
The initial sections aim to provide historical context about Pompeii before the disaster struck. Visitors encounter moving casts of the town's inhabitants preserved in their final poses before being entombed in volcanic ash. These poignant relics would likely have greater emotional impact without the constant accompaniment of what the exhibition's reviewer described as "overwrought" musical scoring.
Virtual Reality Meets Ancient History
Where the exhibition truly embraces its immersive potential is in the VR-enhanced sections that transport visitors back to ancient times. One particularly memorable virtual reality film depicts a gladiatorial battle featuring flame-spurting pillars that dramatically retract into the floor as the amphitheatre floods with water, transforming instantly into a naval combat arena.
While historical accuracy takes something of a backseat in these segments - such instantaneous arena transformations certainly didn't occur in Roman times - the spectacle is undeniable. The centrepiece immersive film combines quieter moments, including quotations from Pliny the Younger's eyewitness accounts, with climaxes of such exaggerated destruction that they might make Hollywood disaster director Roland Emmerich blush.
The exhibition reaches its dramatic peak with boulders of flaming pumice the size of carthorses raining down on virtual Pompeii, smashing stone buildings to smithereens in a display of digital destruction that pushes the boundaries of historical representation.
Family-Friendly Historical Entertainment
This approach to history, described by critics as "dementedly exaggerated," appears primarily aimed at younger audiences and adults with limited attention spans for traditional museum displays. For families seeking an engaging 90-minute activity that combines education with entertainment, the exhibition delivers solid value.
Tickets are priced at £32 for adults and £24 for children, with the exhibition located at ImmerseLDN within the ExCeL Centre at Excel Waterfront, London E16 1XL. The experience runs daily with multiple time slots available throughout its extended London residency.
While the reviewer preferred MAD's previous Tutankhamun exhibition for its more appropriate embrace of Egyptian afterlife mythology, The Last Days of Pompeii succeeds as a bombastic, if sometimes silly, interpretation of one of history's most dramatic natural disasters. As the reviewer wryly noted, the ancient Pompeiians might have been flattered by their exaggerated immortalisation in virtual reality, even if historians might raise an eyebrow.
