Is it a craze or here to stay? Escape rooms take over Norwich

The team struggled to crack all the codes in the interactive game (Image: Archant)

Despite the popularity there is still an air of mystery attached to the activity. What are they? What happens in them?

To answer these questions and hopefully crack a few codes, we sent a crack editorial team to newest escape room at the Bridewell Museum of Norwich to ask the question- are escape rooms just a craze or is this something we're not about to escape from any time soon?

The Bridewell is the most recent historical attraction and only museum to host an escape room. Instead of entering a mummy's tomb or magicians den - you will experience The Merchants' Vault. The specially-crafted puzzle is dedicated to the history of industry in Norwich and completely factual and based in the vaulted undercroft.

The journey through the Merchants' Vault is hosted across four spaces, while the puzzle master and managing director of History Mystery, Alasdair Willett, slips you clues to break free from the escape room.

Eastern Daily Press Reporter, Doug Faulkner attempts to crack the code (Image: Archant)

'This is the only escape room that is directly linked to the items at the museum, it is all about history through the escape room, people just love the history and the narrative,' Mr Willett said.

Jenny Caynes, the curator for the museum said the escape room could bring a new range of visitors to the museum.

'We hope it will open up the museum to a more diverse audience, we offer a money off voucher to the museum to encourage people to come back,

'Another advantage is it opens up this space which isn't usually accessible to the public,' she said.

The Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell is turning its undercroft into an escape room game.Aladair Willett in the undercroft.Picture: Nick Butcher (Image: Archant © 2018)

If you're a fan of cracking codes and solving riddles this one is ideal, it's hard but also not too difficult.

Customer Experience Director Lisa Willett said the escape game experience, so popular in London there are thought to be more than 1,000 locations, was 'definitely not a craze'.

'I think we haven't even started yet we aren't even on that upward slope. They started over ten years ago in Japan and are still popular,' she said.

To book a slot, visit historymysterygame.com or by ring 01603 327515.

The Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell is turning its undercroft into an escape room game.Aladair Willett in the undercroft.Picture: Nick Butcher (Image: Archant © 2018)

The Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell is turning its undercroft into an escape room game.Ben Leach and James Jordan trying the game.Picture: Nick Butcher (Image: Archant © 2018)