YORK Dungeon is celebrating winning the accolade for Best Story Told as part of its first Visit England Quality Assured Accreditation.

This follows a successful 2017 for the Clifford Street "horrible history" attraction, which was named as a finalist in the Visit York Tourism Awards and gained a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor and an award for Scariest Attraction from the Little Vikings publication.

Having reopened in May 2016 after falling victim to the Boxing Day floods that beset York in 2015, York Dungeon has risen anew with ten live shows spanning 2,000 years of history, taking in such characters from the city's past as the Vikings, Guy Fawkes and Dick Turpin.

The programme planned for 2018 includes new shows featuring four famous Yorkshire Rogues and Legends figures: Cartimundua, Margaret Clitherow, Richard III and Mother Shipton.

A tavern, Ye Olde Yorke Inn, is being launched, as is a new schools offering, while the events programme will include York Dungeon Lates, aimed at over-18s on selected nights throughout the year, when York Dungeon will be open until "the darker hours of the night" with new surprises in its shows. "Expect more scares, cheekier jokes and even…well, we’ll let you find out for yourself," said general manager Stuart Jarman. "2017 was a great year for York Dungeon; visitor numbers were up 22 per cent on visits made in 2016 and we formed many great partnerships within the city, including York City Cruises, City Sightseeing, the Castle Museum and the Grand Opera House. We also had our most successful Hallowe'en season and were named the best dungeon experience within the Merlin estate by guests."

The present Yorkshire Rogues and Legends show, featuring Cartimundua, runs until Sunday (April 29). To book York Dungeon tickets online, go to thedungeons.com/york/en/tickets/