Someone has been leaking parliamentary debates to The Gentleman’s Magazine – a treasonable offence in the 1740s! Now you have the chance to come and solve this 280-year-old crime in the very room where it took place.
This is Treason, a new escape game that’s been unveiled by the Museum of the Order of St John in Clerkenwell. For a limited time only, the museum will be opening its Council Chamber and revisiting the room’s historic use as the editorial hub of The Gentleman’s Magazine, one of the most widely read publications in Georgian London. Players will have 60 minutes (while the editors are out to lunch!) to snoop around and figure out who has been causing international uproar by leaking parliamentary reports…
The escape game was originally conceived and launched pre-Covid, but had to be paused for almost two years, so the team were delighted to finally re-launch it to the public last month.
Anna Mason, Head of Collections and Public Engagement at the museum, said: “The Council Chamber is steeped in history and is indeed the former home of The Gentleman’s Magazine. We hope our new escape game will not only provide a lot of fun for participants but will also give an insight into the historic uses of St John’s Gate, one of the most distinctive landmarks in this part of London.”
Attracting New Audiences
Growing and diversifying its public programme is a key priority for the museum, to draw in new audiences and engage them in the work of the charity. Situated in Clerkenwell, London’s design district, many of the museum’s closest neighbours are young adults aged 18–34 who commute into the area for work. Their proximity means they have easy access to the museum, but the challenge is persuading them to take the first steps across the threshold!
The team knew they had to be dynamic and forward thinking to find a way of creating experiences that would attract this audience. With many local workplaces looking for team building activities to improve communication and reduce stress, an escape room offers the ideal solution.
The escape game has a number of benefits for the museum. It will:
- Generate increased revenue
- Maximise use of historic spaces with low impact
- Diversify and increase audiences
- Raise the profile of the museum
The escape game will run one Saturday per month at the moment but other days of the week are available on request by emailing museum@sja.org.uk. The group cost per session is £120 with a team of up to six players possible. The museum is also happy to take corporate bookings via the same email address.
With thanks to Ameeta Lodhia, Business Development Manager for submitting this blog post. We look forward to catching up with Ameeta and the rest of the team later this year to find out how the escape game performed.
For more information about the Museum of the Order of St John and its collections and other bookable attractions, please visit their website.
