Hereford Cathedral has opened the first Escape Room in an English cathedral – an immersive clue-cracking and decoding game, hosted in its Old Chapel and inspired by real life events uncovered during its Eastern Cloisters Project.
Escape room opens in Hereford Cathedral this Easter inspired by its own hidden histories.
It is 1890. You have been accused of embezzling money from the funds of the Vicars Choral. The police have been called and are on their way. You have been shut in the Old Chapel until the police arrive, and you have just one hour to work out who has committed the crime. If you can successfully convince your guard that you are innocent, you will be released before the police arrest you…Can you prove that you are innocent?
The theme is based on historical events uncovered during the National Lottery Heritage Fund Eastern Cloisters Project started in 2019 which saw the cathedral receive £866,700 to renovate the cloisters and open them up for multi-purpose use.
The physical works were accompanied by a programme of activities and research which discovered many hidden stories about the Vicars Choral who had originally lived within Cloisters, from an embezzling lay clerk’s disappearance to unknown links to the suffragette movement. This research has been shared within the cathedral community, and further afield, and inspired a range of events including lectures, a reunion for previous residents, and an historical speed dating event on Valentine’s Day.
Jess Stallwood, Events Officer, said:
“This is such an exciting thing to introduce to our current events programme! We believe this is a unique offering and one which the team here at Hereford Cathedral can be proud to own.”
The experience lasts one hour and is suitable for groups of up to six people. Each session costs £45. Booking is available on selected days throughout the year and the first sessions are available to book on Thursday 21 & Saturday 23 April.
For more information, please visit https://www.herefordcathedral.org/Event/escape-room-april2022.
The Eastern Cloisters Project finally opened last year with much improved and accessible space. The Old Chapel has also been transformed into a user -friendly space for events and a multimedia historical reimagining experience is available for visitors to experience the history of the Cloisters.
