JEP reporter Elen Johnston turned detective for an evening at a special murder mystery event in Guernsey, full of intrigue, fine dining and a dash of humour

I RECENTLY was invited to a murder mystery evening full of drama, clues and intrigue at the Old Government House Hotel and Spa on our neighbouring island Guernsey, and having grown up watching the likes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, I jumped at the opportunity…
The evening began with drinks at the far end of its regency room – where events are often held – with views overlooking the sea, and guests dressed in period outfits mingling over glasses of champagne.
It was a little bit difficult to tell who was a guest and who was an actor playing a character, as lots of people were dressed in outfits fitting for 1858 – the year in which the mystery is set, when the building, which once was the Governor’s residence, became a hotel.
So, when a rather animated gentleman approached the group of women I was with, and asked me where my husband was, I was a little taken aback – but we quickly realised it was all part of the show.

Then he asked me if I worked, and when I replied yes, he pretended to act like he suddenly was feeling faint, and said “I’m going to have to have a word with the vicar”, after exclaiming “a woman working, it’s shocking”.
Shortly after, we were invited to take our seats by the characters Mr John Gardner, an entrepreneur who leased the building from the States, to open the Old Government Hotel, and his wife Emma Gardner.
In a speech, he welcomed us all “most cordially” to his establishment, before presenting their “honoured guests”, which included the “revered Bailiff”, Vincent Candie, Esquire, who told the room he “wasn’t sure of what to expect”, with Mr Gardner being an “Englishman”.
It was the first moment of tension in the room, which we all were listening attentively to, in order to try and hear clues, many of which were given as the others introduced themselves, such as Bessie Keiller, a member of the Dundee Keiller family who manufacture marmalade.

The other honoured guests attending included John Mowlem, an Englishman involved in the quarrying business, and Victor Hugo, the exiled French novelist who moved to Guernsey in 1855, and Peter Ogier, who had asked me earlier if I was married, a shipbuilder who was proud to call himself a tradesman.
Then the scene ended, and the guests began to eat their first courses, while the cast wandered around the room, interacting with the guests at each table, making some humorous remarks, before the Bailiff tapped his glass to get everyone’s attention.
He gave a speech to the room as he raised a glass to “the sixties”, referring to the 60 richest families on the Island, which led the other characters to discuss the classism at the time, with John Mowlem saying: “If you’re not one of them, they treat you like dirt”.
Then after the discussion, the Bailiff seemed to become flustered as he wiped his brow and said, “I say, Gardner, crack open a window, it’s hotter than the Royal Court in a States debate on tax reform”.
Falling to the floor beside me, he exclaimed “I’m dying”, in his final words (alive), he said: “I will never receive my knighthood. My portrait will never grace the walls of the Court. My beloved queen will not be amused.”
There were gasps throughout the room, as Mr Gardner said he would call the constable – who apologised for taking so long to arrive, as there had been “so many road closures”– and the pace of the evening quickened.
It may have been immersive, making you feel like you had truly gone back in time, but there were parts that reminded you it was just a performance, such as when the Bailiff became a ghost, so that it was easier to remove his body, but it was nevertheless entertaining.
They continued to act out scenes between the three courses, giving away more clues as the evening went on, but I will not share all that played out that evening, as they are considering doing it again, possibly in the autumn, and I do not want to spoil it for you.
If you would like to go to the next possible one, that is up to you, but I personally thought it was a brilliant idea and enjoyed the evening that was full of intrigue, particularly a nice touch at the end where people could ask the different suspects questions.
Although, I’m not sure how seriously everyone was taking the Q&A section of the night, as many of the questions seemed to be people asking if Mrs Gardner was having an affair with almost all the other characters.

The menu included a herb-roasted loin of lamb, with minted potato, buttered turnips, glazed carrots and Cumberland jus (above)