We met Jackie Jack and Heidi Richardson last week after they drove up to source vintage props for their successful business Locked in Edinburgh. The city's no 1 escape rooms! They were so taken by what we stocked here at Scaramanga that they came back a few days later to buy more! We got chatting to them to find out more about their exciting business. Of course, we're planning a Scaramanga office trip to try them out, we love an escape room!
What is an escape room?
For players who have never played before and have no idea what to expect, we liken the experience to the old tv programme, the Crystal Maze. Teams basically have to think outside the box to solve clues and linked puzzles to navigate out our rooms in 60 mins or less.
What are your escape room themes?
The Distillery themed room story revolves around a break-in thought to be an “inside job”. Players have 60 mins to solve puzzles and in the process identify the culprit. The Secret Lab has been sealed since 1972 due to a suspected LIE virus. An hour to problem solve and recreate a vaccine to save Edinburgh from imminent destruction. The newly opened Cutting Room revolves around a cold case serial killer. 5 new bodies discovered still alive in need of 5 replacement organs to survive. Crack the codes and save the victims.........
How did Locked In Edinburgh get started?
Our journey into Escape Games started with playing a couple of Edinburgh rooms and feeling the buzz that comes with successfully completing a good escape room. We finished the games thinking we could probably design them better!
Heidi already had an office at Summerhall (formerly The University of Edinburgh Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies) and was aware that part of the building was basically derelict and mostly unused. The idea began to create an authentic room themed on the original use of the building.
How important are props to a good escape room?
In terms of prop buying, we are lucky enough to recycle a lot of props from things that other people at Summerhall throw into the skip. It’s not about saving money, it’s about keeping our rooms true to the theme and feeling like the original old building that we inhabit. When we buy items they must be in keeping with the age, theme and above all robust to stand up to inquisitive players. Often we look at an item and judge whether it will withstand being dropped or thrown about a room! Harsh but realistically a few players are what we describe as disruptive and tend to be destructive with our prized finds.
So what's next for Locked In Edinburgh?
In terms of the future, we’ve just opened our new 'Cutting Room' and feedback is favourable. There’s always a lot of secrecy surrounding escape rooms so we’re not giving anything away........ except there’s always a new room in the pipeline!
Interested in finding out more? Visit Locked in Edinburgh - https://www.lockedinedinburgh.com/
