The Great Murder Mystery

12^th March–2^nd June 2024

Founded in 2017 by three classical musicians, The Lost Estate creates a Victorian dinner-dining experience from the moment you step through the door of this unassuming warehouse next to West Kensington tube into a dining hall filled with beautifully laid tables and sumptuous red table lamps. Antiquities, curiosities and taxidermy add to the ambience, and the attention to detail is exquisite, even down to the distressed hand dryers in the bathroom. You are immediately transported back to 1889 to a press conference organised by non-other than Dr John H Watson. The location? 221B Baker Street. The case? The Baskerville Scandal.

Amongst the atmospheric lighting and surroundings, a team of highly efficient and charming waiting staff attend to your every need. They deliver a superb three-course meal and well-curated drinks, interspersed with the three acts that form the stage adaption of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, written and adapted by Kate Ferguson.

Samuel Collings as the main character, Sherlock Holmes, particularly stood out, with his fine-tuned cut-glass accent and dramatic gesticulation, leading the actors through a murder mystery set in London and Devonshire. Dorcas Stevens plays Lady Henri Baskerville (adapted from Sir Henry Baskerville in the novel), with poise and gusto, with Wela Mbusi cast as a gentlemanly Dr Watson, and Joseph Reed and Ruby Ablett playing several roles superbly and navigating numerous costume changes and accents seamlessly.

With an overall team of c.60, plus waiting and kitchen staff, this is a slick, well-rehearsed production on all levels, and you would expect this for the ticket price, however, a little more sustenance wouldn’t have gone amiss as we were still pretty peckish by the end of the evening, albeit appreciating the stunning and delicious nouvelle cuisine produced a team led by Executive Chef Ashley Clarke, formerly of Gordon Ramsey Group. It’s a shame the ticket prices are so high, however, the sheer volume of highly professional staff and performers probably make this unavoidable.

An enjoyable night, with excellent staff, top class actors and musicians, along with a dining experience to be remembered.

Rhea Shepherd