Murder Mystery at The Bluebell Railway

Experience the thrill of unravelling a cunningly crafted whodunit aboard our beautifully restored heritage carriages. Set against the backdrop of the stunning Sussex countryside, these immersive events combine an engaging murder mystery performance with a delightful journey by steam train. Enjoy a delicious meal as the drama unfolds around you, and see if you have what it takes to solve the case before the journey ends. Perfect for amateur sleuths and lovers of great theatre, our Murder Mystery Days promise a unique and unforgettable experience.

Oh! I Do Like to Die Beside The Seaside

(April to August)

It is the hot summer of 1976. Concorde has recently carried its first paying passengers at supersonic speeds. Harold Wilson has been returned as Prime Minister for the Labour Party and The Liberals are in the safe hands of Jeremy Thorpe. Meanwhile, in the sleepy seaside resort of Stoneyfield-on-Sea, all is far from well.

As the deckchairs are opened in the midst of summer heat, an infidelity is uncovered, a confirmed gambler must pay his debt on pain of death and the Punch and Judy man’s temper boils over at a young audience member in front of a large group of holiday makers. Just beyond the dazzling clarity of the azure blue skies, dark clouds of mystery and murder are about to rain down on this otherwise already not vey tranquil scene. Can you solve this dastardly murder?

Dress to impress in your finest flares, your cheekiest cheesecloth shirts and those perfect platform shoes!

Addlestrop – The Mainline to Murder!

(September to December)

On a fine June day in 1914, four members of the well-to-do Firecrest family set out for a day trip on the Cotswold Line.   It’s only when they take their seats that they realise that one of their number — the wild and reckless Cecily Firecrest — has somehow disappeared. A week later her body is found — locked inside a trunk at Liverpool docks. The murder was never solved.

Seven years later (1921), the victim’s sister, Victoria, comes across a poem: Adlestrop by Edward Thomas. To her shock she realises that it was written about the very same train journey on which Cecily vanished. Her private investigator asks her to recreate the events of that fateful summer’s day. Behind the respectable facade all is not well with the Firecrests. Why is Victoria so reluctant to meet the man she will soon marry, Augustus Newman? Why is her cousin Mildred so agitated and her Aunt Ada so evasive? Who is the peculiar Professor Downwhistle and what is the clumsy ticket inspector really up to? Above all, how did Cecily disappear on a train — and why did it stop, unwontedly, at Adlestrop?