Published: Saturday, 23rd August, 2008 12:00pm

Watching the detectives

by Alan Bunce

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A STORY of suspense and intrigue was acted out in the grounds of a stately home as people got clued up on the Great Sherlock Holmes Trail.

Around 50 people were at South Hill Park Arts centre in Bracknell to help the famous fictional detective and his sidekick Watson as they tried to lift a curse from the South Hill Park mansion.

This live and interactive piece of theatre by TableNine Productions, took place on Saturday and was the precursor to the Extraordinary Sherlock Holmes play which will be performed at South Hill Park on October 23-25.

Rosemary Smart from Finchampstead took her 11-year-old daughter Caitlin along for the day of family fun.

Mrs Smart said: "The actors were very good, and it was just another of the creative things that they are constantly thinking up to put on at South Hill Park.

"Our family often comes here and this was a fantastic way of doing a tour of the grounds and getting people, especially children, to take part in the fun."

The trail started in the rose gardens, where the stately home owner Mrs Ponsenby told the crowd her tale of woe and how a curse had been laid upon the grounds.

It was then up to Mr Holmes (Roger Utting), Mr Watson (Patrick Buckingham) and those in attendance to solve clues in order to lift the curse and allow her to keep the mansion.

Running for an hour-and-a-half, this exciting piece of performance theatre involved the audience in unravelling the mystery as they went around the grounds.

Clues were read out and the public were asked to solve them in order to walk onto the next stage.

The trail took in many of the highlights of the 24-acre site that lies in the Birch Hill estate.

The original South Hill Park mansion was built in 1760 as a gentleman's residence.

Visitors got to see the diverse forest in which it lies, including a towering redwood tree, a natural amphitheatre and a picturesque lake.

It is the perfect setting for a Sherlock Holmes mystery as the house is considered haunted after two children died when the nursery caught alight in the 19th century.

As well as the detective duo, a chambermaid - played by one of the many witty performers among the acting troupe - was constantly chirping away to the audience, reminding them of the housekeeping staff who would have actually worked in this old mansion.

Luckily the audience solved the riddle which lifted the curse.

Visit www.tablenine.ik.com for more information, or contact South Hill Park on 01344 413 524 to find out about upcoming events.