1. Age & Chaperonage.
Thorne's Book Club is intended for persons aged thirteen years and over. Any Member under sixteen must be accompanied throughout the visit by a responsible adult Member.2. On Nerves & Constitution.
Our collections encompass curiosities of every stripe, and certain scenes, sounds, surprises and exhibits are deliberately intended to startle or unsettle. The visit may involve sudden loud noises, darkness, confined spaces, rapid changes in lighting, physical movement and unexpected scares. If you know that you have a condition which may be adversely affected by these features, you are responsible for considering whether it is safe for you to participate. Those with heart conditions or blood-pressure conditions which may be aggravated by sudden fright, exertion or startle effects should not enter. If you require further information about the effects used in order to make that decision, please write to ScreamWorks before attending. You are not required to disclose medical information which is irrelevant to your participation.3. On Conduct.
Our premises are packed with valuable antiquities, many of which are old and fragile. Do not use force unless expressly instructed to do so. Do not climb upon scenery, force doors, pull fittings from walls, deliberately damage props or attempt to enter areas which are plainly closed to Members. Where a Member deliberately or recklessly damages property, or causes damage by disregarding a clear instruction, the person responsible may be required to meet the reasonable and evidenced cost of repair or replacement actually incurred.4. On Contact.
Please do not intentionally touch, grab, push or strike our staff or performers. In return, performers will not intentionally touch you with their hands unless expressly disclosed otherwise. Please understand, however, that props, soft projectiles, air, water, moving scenery, mechanical effects and other theatrical devices may make contact with or be directed towards Members as part of the Experience. Such effects do not constitute intentional hand contact by a performer. Follow all safety directions given by staff or performers. A failure to do so may result in your visit being brought to an immediate end.5. An Old Shop, Mind Your Step.
The premises are venerable. Floors may be uneven, rooms and passages may be dark or modestly lit, and some parts of the visit may require ducking, crawling, negotiating confined spaces or moving around scenery. Walk — never run — and remain aware of your surroundings, particularly following a sudden scare. Secure, sensible footwear with adequate grip is strongly recommended. High heels, leather-soled or otherwise slippery footwear should be avoided. Delicate, valuable or easily marked clothing is also best left at home. Theatrical dirt, artificial blood, water, scenery and other effects may occasionally mark clothing or footwear.6. Expectant Ladies.
While we wish every felicity, pregnant Members cannot participate, regardless of the stage of pregnancy. This is a health-and-safety restriction arising from the physical and unpredictable nature of the Experience, including darkness, confined spaces, sudden movement, startle responses and the unpredictable movements of other Members. If you discover that you are pregnant after booking, please contact ScreamWorks before attending. The affected Member's ticket will be refunded.7. A Temple of Quiet.
Thorne's is a silent zone. Kindly refrain from unnecessary chatter, exclamations and other disturbances that may unsettle readers lost in their chapters. This rule never prevents you from speaking plainly to a member of staff about a safety concern, injury, illness or genuine emergency.8. Modern Conveniences.
Following recent refurbishment we enjoy the benefits of electricity; yet the illumination may at times flash or flicker, and certain areas remain deliberately dark or modestly lit. Anyone who has been advised to avoid flashing, flickering or similar lighting — including because of photosensitive epilepsy — must not enter. Certain theatrical mechanisms may also produce a mild static electric-shock effect. Such effects are intentional features of the Experience. If you have an implanted electrical or cardiac device, or another condition which may be affected by an electrical effect, you should not interact with such mechanisms and should contact ScreamWorks before attending if further information is required. To avoid an electrical effect, do not sit on any chair or stool unless instructed that it is safe to do so.9. Dust of Ages.
We are custodians of rare and ancient volumes; book dust, theatrical dust and atmospheric effects may form part of the surroundings. Anyone with a severe respiratory condition which may be aggravated by dust, theatrical atmosphere, confined spaces or similar environmental effects should not enter. If you have an allergy or contact sensitivity and require information about a particular material or effect in order to decide whether you can safely participate, please write to ScreamWorks before attending.10. Temperance.
Admission will be refused to any person who appears to be materially under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs, or whose behaviour gives staff reasonable cause to believe that they cannot participate safely. Our shelves are intoxicating enough.11. Victuals.
Any food or drink offered during the visit is optional. If you have a food allergy, intolerance or other dietary requirement, do not consume anything offered unless you are satisfied that it is safe for you to do so. Ingredient or allergen information may be requested from ScreamWorks in advance.12. On Fire, Alarms & Other Serious Apparatus.
Certain objects within Thorne's are provided not for curiosity, diversion or puzzle-solving, but for the rather more serious business of fire safety. Fire extinguishers, alarm call points, smoke or heat detectors, emergency lighting, fire doors and other recognisable fire-safety apparatus are never part of the game and must not be handled as though they were props, clues or mechanisms. Thorne's does not disguise puzzles as genuine fire-safety equipment, nor do we fashion game apparatus to resemble it. If something plainly appears to be a fire extinguisher, alarm, detector or other item of fire-safety equipment, you must assume that it is precisely what it appears to be and leave it alone. Members must not remove, cover, obstruct, strike, disable, damage, discharge, activate or otherwise interfere with such equipment except where its proper use is reasonably necessary in a genuine emergency. In the unhappy event of a real or suspected fire, Members are not expected to fight it. Raise the alarm, follow any emergency directions and leave by the nearest available safe exit. Do not place yourself or another Member in danger by attempting to use a fire extinguisher. The deliberate, reckless or non-emergency discharge of a fire extinguisher, activation of an alarm call point, or interference with a detector or other fire-safety apparatus will bring your visit to an immediate end, and the whole party may be required to leave. Where a person deliberately or recklessly causes fire-safety equipment to be unnecessarily discharged, activated or damaged, that person may be required to meet the reasonable and evidenced costs directly incurred as a result, including inspection, resetting, recharging, cleaning, repair, replacement or a necessary call-out charge.13. Consent & Undertaking.
By submitting this form and entering Thorne's, you confirm that you have read and understood these Rules, that you will follow the safety instructions given to you, and that you understand the ordinary and inherent risks of participating in a dark, immersive and physical theatrical Experience, including the possibility of accidental minor knocks, bumps, bruises or scrapes. Your acknowledgement of those ordinary risks does not exclude or restrict any liability which ScreamWorks cannot lawfully exclude or restrict.14. Photographic Apparatus & Privacy.
For the safeguard of Members, staff and collections, and to provide Members with souvenirs, Thorne's employs still and moving-picture capture apparatus and phonographic recording within the premises. By entering, you acknowledge that images and sounds may be taken. Details about Members' choices in relation to these recordings and captures are available within the Member's Dashboard, where, once available, such souvenirs may be shared with members of your own party. Please be advised that recordings and captures may also be used by ScreamWorks in promotional circulars and materials to raise awareness of and promote the business. Members may opt out of sharing souvenir recordings with members of their own party and/or of their use by ScreamWorks for promotional purposes. To manage these choices, log in using the email address supplied and verified during pre-check-in and visit the My Account. Further information about how images, recordings and personal information are collected, used, stored and protected can be found in our Privacy Policy.15. Personal Safety & Acknowledgement of Risk.
We take reasonable care for the safety of our Members. Nevertheless, this is an immersive physical Experience conducted in deliberately dark, confined and surprising surroundings, and ordinary accidental risks cannot be eliminated entirely. You must move with reasonable care, obey instructions, refrain from running or using unauthorised force, and take reasonable care for your own safety and that of the Members around you. If at any point you wish to stop the Experience, feel unwell, become injured or believe that you are unsafe, tell the nearest member of staff or performer immediately. If nobody is present, raise both hands and keep them raised. Remain in a safe position and a member of staff will attend as soon as reasonably practicable. Because the premises comprise several rooms, a response may not be instantaneous. In matters of health or safety you may always address staff plainly and out of character. If you are injured or involved in a safety incident, you must tell a member of staff as soon as reasonably practicable and, wherever possible, before leaving the premises, so that assistance can be provided and the circumstances can be recorded and investigated. In a fire, evacuation or other genuine emergency, do not wait for the raised-hands procedure. Follow emergency instructions and leave by the nearest available safe exit. Nothing in these Rules excludes or limits ScreamWorks' liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.By Order of the Proprietors,
Mr & Mrs E. W. Thorne
