Historic Escape Room in Edinburgh – Unlocking The Deacon’s Cabinet
I’m still pretty new to escape rooms in Edinburgh – with only two under my belt so far – but I can safely say that The Deacon’s Cabinet, the latest offering from Escape The Past, is absolutely phenomenal!
Centred around the infamous double life of Edinburgh’s Deacon Brodie, the real-life inspiration for Jekyll and Hyde – you have just one hour to discover the spoils of this notorious thief before he swings in front of the hangman.
And boy, what a fast-paced hour it is!
I was kindly invited to experience The Deacon’s Cabinet, the latest escape room from the masterminds behind the equally superb The Anatomist, and while this experience was generously gifted by the event owners, all thoughts and opinions shared in this review are entirely my own.
Table of Contents
Enter The World of Deacon Brodie
The escape room, billed as ‘historical heist’, is set in the workshop of Deacon Brodie, a man who, by day, was a highly skilled locksmith and cabinet maker and by night a gambler, womaniser and thief.
Without giving too much away, this 18th-century workshop is packed to the rafters (quite literally) with tools, locks, keys, boxes and one huge cabinet – the focus of the entire escape room.
Your task is to uncover the spoils of Brodie’s crimes before the noose slips over his neck and you have just one hour to do it.
After being given the lowdown on Brodie’s infamous crimes by Beth, our Games Master, the clock started ticking and the panic set in.
We were a little unsure where to start, it definitely helped that there were five of us trying to work out the puzzles so we could split up around the room. Let’s just say the game certainly didn’t forget that Brodie was a master locksmith!
I think it would be a challenge with just two people, considering how much was going on.
I loved the way that things opened or clicked as we started to work things out. Couple this with the atmosphere inside the workshop, and the audio that’s played at certain points, then you have a recipe for one outstanding escape room.
The Puzzles
Ah, come on, you know I can’t talk about any of the finer details from The Deacon’s Cabinet – that would spoil the entire experience for you. What happens in ‘The Cabinet’, stays in ‘The Cabinet’, as they say.
But I can tell you this: you don’t need to know anything about Deacon Brodie’s extraordinary double life – or be a maths genius (hurrah, I hear you cry!).
The puzzles really got us thinking, and I never once guessed what was coming next or how things might fit together – like when you think you’ve figured out who the murderer is in the latest ‘whodunit’ movie.
It was great to see such a diverse mix of puzzles to solve. I would say that even if you’d never tried an escape room before, this would be a fabulous introduction for you.
We were warned that some puzzles required real precision – something our Games Master helpfully reminded us of during the game. And, as with all escape rooms (she says, like a seasoned pro), there are clues hidden right in front of you.
You’ve just got to know where to look!
Although I’d tried – and failed – to escape The Anatomist, I can still recall some of the puzzles from that room. However, I wasn’t aware that any of them had influenced the puzzles in The Deacon’s Cabinet so if you’ve recently visited Escape The Past to try your hand at their first escape room, rest assured that nothing will spoil your experience.
Everything in The Deacon’s Cabinet was well thought out, seamlessly linked, and expertly put together that I had a completely different experience in both rooms.
Would I Try The Deacon’s Cabinet Again?
Without hesitation, I’d be back at The Deacon’s Cabinet in a heartbeat! Right now, I’m just trying to forget the answers to the puzzles – then I’d definitely dive in again.
Unlike The Anatomist escape room, where you can split off and tackle puzzles independently, The Deacon’s Cabinet is designed as a linear experience. You solve clues in sequence, progressing through the ‘game’ step by step.
Personally, I preferred this format. It added an extra sense of urgency, making it feel like a true race against time and keeping the experience fast-paced and engaging. The use of logic throughout was incredibly clever and kudos to those who dreamt up the games.
Once you’ve experienced it, you’ll appreciate just how well-designed this particular escape room is.
I’d certainly recommend both The Deacon’s Cabinet and The Anatomist to any escape room enthusiast visiting Edinburgh. Both are expertly researched and put together and I can guarantee you’ll be discussing the complexity of the puzzles long after you’ve left the city behind.
Will The Deacon’s Cabinet win the coveted Traveller’s Choice Award from TripAdvisor, just like The Anatomist? I’m confident it will, if it hasn’t already!
If you’d like to read about my attempt at escaping The Anatomist, you can check out my post here. I tackled it with my friend Cat Irving, the Human Remains Conservator from Surgeons’ Hall, so you’d think we’d have had a good chance at cracking it – but we didn’t!
Where Can I find The Deacon’s Cabinet Escape Room
The Deacon’s Cabinet escape room is in the same venue at The Anatomist – that’s in Nicholson Square, a 5 minute walk from Surgeons’ Hall, and the National Museum of Scotland.
The entrance to the escape room is just at the bottom of a set of steps in the far corner as you approach. We were greeted by the very cheerful Beth, and so you don’t have to worry about being in the right place or not – whoever you’re booked in with on the day will come out to meet you.
You have sole use of the escape room while you’re booked in, which means you’re not hanging around waiting for another group to finish, which is fabulous. You’re literally straight in, hanging up coats and bags before getting settled.
While you’re signing in, just take a look around the reception room, it’ll give you a taste of things to come and you can pick up a leaflet about The Anatomist escape room too – an escape room I highly recommend.
You can book both The Deacons Cabinet and The Anatomist escape rooms on the Escape The Past website.
How Long Did The Escape Room Last & Team Size
You have 60 minutes in which to find the spoils of Deacon Brodie exploits around Edinburgh and before he meets his fate with the hangman, and of course, depending on how quickly you solve the clues, depends on how long the experience will last.
There were five people in my group (you can have a maximum of six) and I personally thought that was the right number. The minimum is two, but I think you would be pushing it to get completed in time in this particular escape room.
We escaped at 56:52, mere minutes to spare but you can take up to an hour in the escape room. So, if you time it well, you can head straight from the escape room to enjoy the rest of Edinburgh – maybe even stop by Deacon Brodie’s for some haggis afterward.
Getting There & Enjoying Your Experience
Getting around Edinburgh is pretty simple and the escape room itself is easy to find, but there’s a few things that can help you get the most out of your experience.
I took the Sheriffhall Park & Ride into the city, catching the No. 33 bus which dropped me round the corner, just outside the National Museum, and far too near the temptations of Blackwell’s bookshop – where yes, I did spend a small fortune!
Time is of the essence when experiencing an escape room and so you’re asked to turn up 10 minutes before you’re allotted time, you’ll need this to get booked in and ready for your turn in the escape room.
Best of luck when (not if) you try this one, I know you’ll love it and I can’t wait to see what the team at Escape The Past come up with next… dare I imagine Burke and Hare or Half Hangit Maggie?
Thank you to Chris and everyone at Escape The Past for inviting me to experience the delights of Edinburgh’s criminal underworld in The Deacon’s Cabinet.
