Murder at St George's Hall

There was no better way to spend Halloween this week than taking part in what is billed as the country's biggest murder mystery event. Murder at St George's Hall was a hoot, and a chance for organisers LoveHistory to really get into the spirit of the occasion. LoveHistory has done a number of events around the city over the last couple of years but the murder mystery concept is new. The first event was held back in September and was a complete sell out, so a seasonal spectacular was a bit of a no-brainer. There was a three course meal, plenty of wine, suitably spooky lighting, and a mystery to solve along the way. The most interesting thing about LoveHistory is their murder mysteries gather suspects from real local Victorian crime tales. When our unfortunate victim, a young crime writer, came rushing into the hall in a panic before promptly dropping dead, it was our job to find out which one of a handful of real Liverpool residents from the past could have been responsible. Our host was Harvey Lonsdale Elmes (Stephen Turner), the architect of St George's Hall, whose winning design for the building incorporated a lavish ballroom for the elite, alongside the city courthouse. So, whodunnit? Was it American Florence Maybrick (Catt Stobbs), who moved to Liverpool with husband James in the 1880s and was convicted of his killing after taking a lover? James, it would later turn out, was no innocent, and even a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case. Or maybe it was the Black Widows of Liverpool, Irish sisters who hanged in 1884 for the murders of several men poisoned for insurance money? With many audience members getting into the spirit in full Victorian or Halloween costume as well, Murder at St George's Hall was a great night out for groups of friends and would surely be a winner in such a fantastic and fitting venue every October 31.