A scene from a Victorian Murder Mystery. Shadowy figures are gathered around a table in very dim lighting. It looks like an eerie setting.

Playing Detective at a Victorian Murder Mystery for the First Time

6th December 2025 - New Experience Number 33

Jump to 'Try it yourself'

A Victorian murder mystery is not your average Friday night – you meet a host of horrid characters and try your hand at sleuthing in suitably sinister circumstances.

Trying it as one of my 52 new things, it turned out to be haphazard, chaotic and deadly brilliant.

Finding The Victorian Murder Mystery

I’d had a murder mystery on my list of new things to try for such a long time. The problem was, a lot of the ones I had found included a three course meal which made it quite expensive.

Scrolling through eventbrite to see if there were any classes or workshops coming up that I could try as a new thing, I spotted something a little sinister.

The image was an eerie black and white drawing of two very solemn looking Victorian women. The Gothic text elaborately swept across the picture introducing the Graves Sisters, and announcing their Victorian Murder Mystery.

Well this was intriguing. And the price was especially appealing. I checked my calendar and with the date clear, I booked my ticket.

Wondering What It Would Be Like

The Graves Sisters Victorian Murder Mystery was just a murder mystery; dining was not part of this event. I wondered whether we’d have a script, or notes we’d have to refer to throughout the evening.

Would we all be sitting around a table taking turns to plead our case of innocence? Or would we be interrogated one by one? How much sleuthing would we need to do, and how seriously were we expected to take it?

Prior to the event an email arrived. Clicking to open, this was the moment I’d find the character I would be, but more importantly, I’d discover if I was the murderer.

Helpfully we all had name badges!

Arriving To An Eerie Atmosphere

Expertly hosted by the haunting Graves sisters (Grace and Kimberly), around 25 of us went along to take part in an hilarious Victorian murder mystery.

Dressing up was optional. I wore a frock which had a high neck and long sleeves and felt a little Victorian-esque. Some people had really gone to town, with black lace and veils, ball gowns, and gentlemanly suits.

Candlelight flickered on the wooden beams. Old and mismatched dark wooden furniture filled the room. Dusty old books, letters and sepia photographs were strewn around.

The attic room was full of all sorts of paraphernalia – not all of it was especially for the occasion! The venue was The House Of Trembling Madness, a bar in York city centre which is full of quirky and unusual items, and they lent themselves perfectly to our night of peril.

Looking inside an attic room. It is dimly lit and there are some candles on low tables. There are red upholstered chairs, a red chaise long and a patterned rug. It is the perfect setting for a Victorian Murder Mystery
The dimly lit attic...
...with all sorts of oddments

Setting The Scene For A Victorian Murder Mystery

Proceedings began gathered around the table, where The Graves sisters pulled down their veils and communicated with the deceased. Clarence Devereux had been murdered and we needed to find his killer.

A dimly lit room. Figures are just able to be made out in the low illumination. The people are all crowded around a table and it looks as though a seance is occuring. A scene from a Victorian murder mystery event.
Gathering around as proceedings began

It was very tongue in cheek and set the tone of the night perfectly. We knew this was going to be fun.

We then each individually met the Graves sisters, who told us information about our characters. 

The detail was limited and fairly cryptic, and I left them feeling none the wiser. All I knew for certain was that I had not committed the crime.

My Character

My character was Alexandra Feversham, the daughter of Honoria and Archibald, and youngest sister of Prudence and Prunella. 

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair looking solomnly at the camera. She is wearing a big gold necklace and a dark green floral dress.
Getting into character as Alexandra Feversham

We were a family who had a lot of social status, but unfortunately money was a bit on the tight side. Not that we’d ever let anyone know we were hard up.

Gathering as a family, we shared the information we knew so far, and tried to make a strategy to glean information from the other party guests. But then of course, we also had to remember that we might not be able to trust our family members, because one of them could have been the murderer.

Trusting No-One

Everyone was under suspicion. Everyone had a motive. Trying to converse with members of the other high-class families, and the servants who could potentially have seen everything, was difficult. People were cagey, not wanting to give too much away or incriminate themselves, and were very swift to shift the blame to someone else.

It was a challenge remembering who said what, and whether things we discovered were helpful or red herrings that took us completely down the wrong path.

Giving random guests additional tasks and clues, there was always a new nugget of information to be shared, but a lot of misdirection too. Throw into the mix a stolen pineapple, (an expensive delight at any Victorian gathering) and there was a lot going on!

Three Victorian looking books that have been well read, lying on a table at a Victorian Murder Mystery
Additional clues and tasks were thrown in throughout the event

Fateful Fun At A Victorian Murder Mystery

It was so hard keeping a straight face as everyone got into character. From hoity-toity ladies of high class, to the servants who weren’t supposed to converse with the guests, to the airs and graces of the gentlemen.

For something as serious as murder, there was a ridiculous amount of laughter!

Close up of a set of cards. We can only see the backs of them. They are black with white borders. They are on a wooden table, and there are white candles in the background. Something you might see at a Victorian Murder Mystery
Would the tarot cards hold any clues?
A gold hand bell with a pattern on it. It is resting on an envelope on a table
Was the bell a red herring?

Catching The Culprit

As our time was coming to an end, it became apparent that we needed a little guidance. The Graves sisters gathered us together and asked one guest who they thought was the murderer. If we agreed, we had to point at the accused too.

The first condemned character turned out to be innocent.

More accusations were made and fingers were literally pointed until we did eventually work out whodunnit.

Fantastic Evening At A Victorian Murder Mystery

Challenge Fifty-Two, a white woman with dark hair smiling at the camera. She is inside an attic room with lots of old photographs in frames on the wall.
A brilliant event

Like a cross between Cluedo, The Traitors and an escape room, that had been an absolutely brilliant night.

Everyone really got into the spirit of the event. So much so, that we only found out people’s real names as we were leaving – but to be honest I think I’d only ever remember them as their character if I bumped into them in the street!

New Experiences Create Connections

I appreciate that going into a room full of strangers can be incredibly daunting for many people, and a lack of information about what’s going to happen can make people feel incredibly uneasy.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is not only good for building confidence, it can result in unexpected hilarity, and always gives you a story you can share. All you need is an open mind, and to let yourself go with the flow.

I hadn’t anticipated just how much fun a Victorian murder mystery would be. It was like being immersed in a fictional detective novel combined with an escape room- except all of the clues were with the characters. I would definitely be up for doing it again.

Want To Try It Yourself?

  •  The event I took part in doesn’t seem to happen regularly, so I can’t signpost you to it directly, however, take a look on eventbrite like I did, and you might find one near you.
  • Murder mystery nights are really popular and you’ll often find them popping up. Take a look online to see if there are any in your area. 
  • Alternatively, you can always host your own Murder Mystery night at home, there are lots of kits available to buy.

Cost Of Experience

  • Our Victorian Murder Mystery with the Graves Sisters was an absolute bargain, and cost £6.13 per person.
  • If you shop around and keep your eyes peeled, you might also find a reasonably priced event to attend.
  • Events which include dinner are often priced around £50 per person.

Recommendations

  • Check the instructions.  They should let you know all about the event, including whether you need to dress up. If not, get in touch with the organisers to clarify.
  • Don’t overthink it. It should be fun so don’t worry if you don’t feel like you’re any nearer to finding the culprit.
  • Have a great event. Let me know how you get on if you give it a go. 

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