London’s about to get a Great Murder Mystery.
And we know whodunnit.
It’s the same team behind unparalleled immersive experiences like The Greatest Night of the Jazz Age and The Great Christmas Feast, which have played to sold-out audiences for the past six years. They’re called The Lost Estate, and they bring together some of the city’s best talents in theatre, music, food and drink to create genuinely transportive evenings where you can lose yourself in another world.
After the success of their take on A Christmas Carol (and discovering what is an evident knack for bringing iconic Victorian characters to life), The Great Murder Mystery will plunge you into the world of Sherlock Holmes, in the grips of one of his most remarkable and disconcerting cases yet: The Hound of the Baskervilles.
To do it, they’ll be transforming all 5,000 sq ft of their chameleon-like West Kensington venue into a pocket of Victorian London. You’ll join the crowd of press gathering outside 221b Baker Street, where Holmes and Watson are preparing to shed light on the mysterious, other-worldly happenings in Dartmoor, and the rumours of a ghostly, murderous hound on the loose…
Holmes himself – and a cast of familiar faces including Watson and his long-suffering housekeeper Mrs. Hudson – will conjure the case’s strange and otherworldly details before your eyes, aided by an atmospheric soundtrack from a troupe of live musicians. And unlike the original Sherlock Holmes, this one’s been to drama school and been directed by RSC and National Theatre stalwart Simon Pittman, so he’s absolutely spellbinding.
As for Mrs. Hudson, well, she’s not been sitting around twiddling her thumbs either. With a little help from The Lost Estate’s executive chef Ashley Clarke (previously of Temper Soho and the Gordon Ramsay Group), she’ll be rustling up three courses of fine Victorian gastronomy, combining recipes from the history books with a little modern flair.
As Holmes paints a picture of haunted moors and cursed ancestors, you’ll be blithely tucking into the likes of his favourite Ham & Eggs (made with duck ham, confit egg yolk & pickled blackberries); Spring chicken with truffle mousse and crisp pommes Anna (that’s sliced potato cooked in “a very large amount of melted butter”, according to Wikipedia); and a grand finale of a Devonshire tart with black sesame & strawberry compôte, with a little Champagne sorbet for good measure.
Of course, all this talk of spectral hounds is enough to unnerve the most intrepid of detectives, so you’ll be heartily encouraged to avail yourself of Baker Street’s well-stocked liquor cabinet for a little Dutch courage. There’s a whole fleet of innovative Victorian-styled concoctions like the Bengal Swizzle and the Breakfast Punch, which combines breakfast tea with a blend of rum, lemon sherbet, and apricot preserve.
Sounds like it’d make a great toast.
NOTE: The Great Murder Mystery runs from 19th March – 2nd June 2024. Nudge Members have skip-the-queue access to May dates (March & April are already selling fast). Tickets start at £149.50 for the experience which includes dinner & the show – you can book tickets now HERE. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten, and dairy-free menus are available.
The Great Murder Mystery | The Lost Estate, 9 Beaumont Avenue, W14 9LP
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