Wonderful way to spend an hour with friends on this well designed enjoyable escape room onboard a real life pirate ship.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon me and my crew of 5 dastardly pirates jumped on board the Golden Hinde, a a near-perfect reconstruction of the ship Francis Drake sailed around the world in the 1570s, that’s currently moored at St Mary Overie’s Dock on the banks of the Thames at London Bridge. During the daytime it hosts a museum that explores the marred history of the Golden Hinde, Francis Drake and it’s more modern history starting with it’s circumnavigation of the globe in 1970s whilst at night it hosts an escape room.
The team behind Secret Studio have launched a new seafaring quest aboard this historic reconstruction and as is normal in escape rooms, you have 60 minutes to explore the vessel, solve its fiendish mysteries, and escape ashore.
From the minute of walking onboard the Golden Hinde you can tell this escape room is going to be extra – extra fun, extra energy, extra easter eggs. You’re greeted by deckhands who explain the mission and throughout your hour encounter nobles, someone who looks like they walked out an Austin Powers set and even some ghosts.
The team behind the Secret Studio team is a mix of filmmakers, actors and theatre practitioners.
“Instinctively we focus on story and character,” says Oscar, one of the experience’s designers, “and The Golden Hinde’s long history has bucketloads. We’re immersing guests in an exhilarating interactive adventure, full of tension, challenges and puzzles.”
Something I particularly appreciated was the opportunity the escape room designers took to address Francis Drake’s history and encourage participants to consider his ‘heroics’ and contexualise his achievements with the history we now know. Deemed a national hero by Elizabeth 1 for his escapades against the Spanish, Drake also had numerous slavery expeditions under his name which we have a duty to better explore and highlight in narratives he’s referenced. The escape room takes this initial step but arguably more could have been done in the introduction and overview of the plot to ensure that it didn’t seem these facts were being glossed over.
The game itself had multiple rooms and clever puzzles throughout – all different types to keep all skillsets and people engaged at different points. We had a variety of strengths in our team and everyone had a chance to shine. Perfect for visitors to London, corporate teams, stag/hen parties, and families, the experience is
suitable for all ages 6 and up. Under 10’s go free (with 3 or more paying players).
Head to the website to get on board:
www.escapeintime.co.uk/goldenhinde/
Don’t forget to use our code:
20% discount, can’t be used in conjunction with any other offer, expires 15th November 2023
YOUNGISHSECRET