London commuters were baffled this morning as the architects of the Gunpowder Plot from 1605 boarded the tube – heading straight for the Houses of Parliament.
Draped in cloaks and wearing boots with spurs, the likes of Guy Fawkes and his fellow plotters mingled with confused workers en route.
But after disembarking at Westminster, they were halted by Lady Cecil, and agents of the Crown, holding an anonymous letter revealing details of the planned atrocity.
The plotters were then frogmarched to the Tower of London, where they were historically imprisoned in 1605 before suffering a traitor’s execution.
Fortunately, this group posed no threat – and were actually actors from The Gunpowder Plot immersive experience, from Layered Reality.
The group hit the London streets on the sixteenth day of the fifth month to raise awareness of the failed attempt to blow up King James I and his Government in 1605 – after research found more than one in four people (27 per cent) have little, or no understanding, about the Gunpowder Plot.
Commuter Nomazulu Ramachela, 29, from South West London, said: “It’s not something you see every day on the tube, a carriage of people dressed in period clothing – it was certainly intriguing. The spectacle definitely brightened up my morning commute.”
Interestingly, the study of 2,000 UK adults found a quarter (26 per cent) believe the infamous conspirator Guy Fawkes acted alone, while 33 per cent had no idea which King was being targeted.
And one in ten even thought it was the newly-crowned King Charles III who was in the firing line.
More than a fifth (23 per cent) misunderstood where the treasonous plot was due to take place – as they thought Buckingham Palace was the target in 1605, not the Houses of Parliament.
And 16 per cent of those polled, via OnePoll, admitted they believed the story of the Gunpowder Plot is a work of fiction – and didn’t actually happen.
Of these, 25 per cent assumed it was a fairy tale – while 45 per cent just thought the plot was the source material for the 2005 film, V for Vendetta.
Andrew McGuinness, CEO of Layered Reality, the company behind The Gunpowder Plot immersive experience, which commissioned the study, said: “The story has been told for more than 400 years – so it’s only fair to assume many believed a tale so captivating it must have been too good to be true.
“We had lots of fun on the streets of London this morning, giving commuters a glimpse into what happened all those years ago – as well as letting them know just how close the iconic Houses of Parliament was to being reduced to rubble in 1605.
“Now, Brits can live out the failed gunpowder plot for themselves, and be at the centre of the story – with a mix of live actors, movie quality sets, virtual reality, and multi-sensory effects, to create a truly immersive experience.
“It’s a fantastic way to learn about our history, whilst making some great memories too.”
Following the capture of Guy Fawkes underneath the Houses of Parliament, his torture, and eventual execution, the events that followed saw King James I go on to make it law that citizens celebrate his great escape from The Gunpowder Plot – leading to the famous saying “Remember, Remember, the 5th of November”.
The perilous events of 1605 would then go on to inspire firework displays and bonfires throughout the country for over 400 years.
