Escape rooms may be a little overhyped at this point, but I'll be honest: I love them anyway. I like them very much . If I were in London right now, you better believe I would be going to "Escape Room: Leonardo Artmergency!" all summer long, an escape room located inside Buckingham Palace . You heard me: you can match wits with Leonardo da Vinci himself, trying to find out what happened to the missing curator of the Queen's Gallery in the Royal Palace. I mean, the story is fictional - of course, there's no actual missing Queen's Gallery curator - but a willingness to suspend disbelief is essential to any good escape room, and... this one listens It looks spectacular. Sign me up!
First opened in 1962, the Queen's Gallery was not actually the first building on the current site of Buckingham Palace. Originally, the space was a greenhouse designed by John Nash—one of three greenhouses, each designed to look like an Ionian temple. The Greenhouse was built in 1831 and converted into the Queen Victoria Church in 1843. However, it was unfortunately destroyed by an air raid during World War II. Twenty years later, however, the ruined church was converted into a display space for the Royal Collection – the vast collection of art owned by the British monarch “in commission from his successors and the state” – and opened to the public. It was subsequently renovated and expanded again in 1999, and reopened in 2002 on the occasion of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Today, items from the Royal Collection rotate in and out of the Queen's Gallery, with approximately 450 items on display at any given time. It is maintained by the Royal Collection Trust, a charitable and trading company that aims to ensure that the Royal Collection is maintained to the highest possible degree and accessible to as many people as possible.
The Queen's Gallery also regularly hosts special exhibitions, one of which is Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Painting, from now until 13 October 2019. Commemorating the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death, "A Life in Painting" is the largest exhibition of the artist and inventor's work in 65 years. The drawings were acquired by the Crown during the reign of Charles II (a period commonly known as the Restoration - after the interregnum, Charles held the throne from 1660 until his death in 1685), as described on the Royal Collection website They "provide unparalleled insight into the workings of Leonardo's mind and reflect the full range of his interests, including painting, sculpture, architecture, anatomy, engineering, cartography, geology and botany." "
But that’s not all the painting events the gallery is hosting this summer to celebrate Leonardo da Vinci’s legacy. There are plenty of other events taking place throughout the season and into the fall, including a Leonardo da Vinci-themed escape room. Installed in conjunction with History Mystery (a company specializing in historically themed escape rooms) - Escape Room: Leonardo Artmergency! Puts you on the case of a missing curator, requiring you to use your brain to solve puzzles and riddles scattered across four different rooms while trying to figure out what's going on. Of course, the key is hidden in a Leonardo da Vinci painting.
(Also, the escape room has a super silly name and I love it. “Artmergency!” with an exclamation point! Oops, yes! )
Unlike many escape rooms, you cannot buy single tickets for this escape room, and you will not play alone with strangers. Tickets are only available for teams of 4 to 8 participants and cost £150 (approximately US$190) per team. Depending on how many people you bring, that means the price per person could be between £18.75 and £37.50 (roughly $23 to $47) - which, uh, isn't cheap. Then again, if you've got enough numbers and enough money, maybe it's worth tackling a legitimate escape room at Buckingham Palace - or at least on the grounds. (I would certainly jump at the chance to attend!) You must also be 14 years or older to compete, and if there are any members of your team under 16, an adult will also need to be present.
But the bad news is that as of this morning, the escape room appears to be sold out (yes, that's until October). but! Please remember that cancellations and no-shows may occur, so you can always call the gallery to find out if slots are available.
Hey, if you can make it to Norwich, that's where the four main escape rooms of Historical Mystery are located. Visit the Historic Mysteries website to learn more about these options and to check out other events at the Queen's Gallery (including Leonardo da Vinci Celebrations and other events). It's time to put on your detective hat!
