As part of our introduction to Sixth Form life, the Exploration Society organised a murder mystery at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

To solve the mystery we had to find the murderer, the location of the murder and the weapon used. But this was no easy feat – the V&A is a colossal, unruly complex of buildings with spiral staircases and secret entrances. Teams took one of two approaches. Some meandered through the impressive site, taking their time to interview witnesses, inspect possible suspects and admire the beautiful artwork. Others of us raced against the clock, interrogating witnesses, sniffing out for clues and hastily piecing together the puzzle. Personally, I think the latter approach proved to be more successful. When the time was up, we reconvened to uncover the truth of the mystery. Chris, our team leader, revealed that the weapon used was the Hunting Sword, the location of the murder was the room of Sacred Silver & Stained Glass and Richard Burton dressed as Henry V was the murderer! Of course, the winners left with the sweetest victory (a bar of Cadbury’s chocolate). Overall, our visit to the V&A was a great adventure and showcased our teamwork and investigative skills (with some future detectives thrown in, no doubt!)

Yasmin – Lower Sixth