Murder most foul - A knight of mystery at Warwick Museum
Warwickshire Museum opened its doors into the night on Saturday 19 May to mark the internationally observed Night of the Museums.
And, with an added twist, museum staff hosted a murder mystery to mark the event with members of the public invited to visit the museum and stay until late on into the night.
The evening kicked off at 6.30pm when Nick Billingham author of Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Stratford and South Warwickshire gave a talk. Nick’s book focuses on the darker side of local history and draws on personal tragedies and serious crimes from the times of the Civil and Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution to paint a vivid picture of the county’s past.
The record of the serious crimes paints a vivid picture of life centuries ago shown through lovers’ quarrels, descriptions of the poverty and strange mysteries that are now part of South Warwickshire’s past.
This was followed by cheese and wine and an introduction to the murder mystery scenario after which an evening of suspense and intrigue followed with the option of fancy dress. During the course of the night, an email was sent to the museums at Warwick’s twin towns of Saumur in France and Verden and Havelberg in Germany who were all hosting similar nocturnal events.
Whilst the murder mystery went on, an event for all the family, ‘ShadowKnight’ taught the art of shadow puppetry as younger museumgoers get to make and decorate their own puppet.
Michelle Phillips, visitor services manager for Warwickshire Museum, said: “The museum was filled to capacity with nocturnal visitors of all ages. I think I can safely say that an excellent time was had by all. Given the event’s obvious popularity, we will be looking to run similar events in the future.”