Follow murder mystery trail around city's streets
The Abbey Theatre in St Albans has created murder mystery trail The Strange Case of Harry Holywell - Credit: The Abbey Theatre
Looking for an entertaining couple of hours and some fresh air?
Beat the lockdown blues this Easter by taking part in a new murder mystery trail.
Families are always on the lookout for fun activities to do during the Easter break – and this year a new adventure trail is here to help.
The Abbey Theatre has released a family-friendly mystery trail that leads participants around some of the more interesting corners of St Albans.
The trail is intriguingly titled The Strange Case of Harry Holywell and is based on the fictional murder of director Harry Holywell on the theatre’s stage.
At the Abbey Theatre, members have been rehearsing a play called The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Everything is going smoothly until someone finds the director of the play, Harry Holywell, stabbed to death on the stage.
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The trail starts and ends at the theatre steps in Westminster Lodge and takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.
It is free to download from the Abbey Theatre website.
The Abbey Theatre has created The Strange Case of Harry Holywell, a St Albans murder mystery trail for all the family. - Credit: Supplied by Abbey Theatre
Participants visit locations such as the Cathedral grounds, Romeland, and some of the city’s more charming back roads.
Along the way, families will discover clues on the historic city's streets that help them strike names off a list of suspects.
Finally, they reveal the identity of poor Harry Holywell’s killer.
The trail was compiled by a family closely associated with the theatre – actors and backstage volunteers Andrew and Beccy Baird, and their daughter Kitty.
Take part in a murder mystery trail for all the family around St Albans this Easter. - Credit: Supplied by Abbey Theatre
Andrew said: "As a family we know how hard it is to find something unusual to do over lockdown.
"We love completing trails and thought that by inventing our own we could bring pleasure to lots of other families, too."
He added: "The trail’s also a great way to get the Abbey Theatre name out in the community.
"We’re always looking for new audience members and volunteers, and hopefully this will get in front of people who are missing out on the theatre’s work."
The Abbey Theatre is planning to open its doors again in May, government roadmap guidance permitting.
It also plans to continue live-streaming selected performances, continuing an innovation which has been a real boon to the local community over the last year.
The trail can be found at www.abbeytheatre.org.uk
