Boarders Transform Kimbolton Castle Into A Live Cluedo Board

Published on isbi School News dated Thursday 21st of March 2024

At Kimbolton School, the spring term heralded the most talked about and anticipated date in the girls’ boarding house (White House) calendar – Live Cluedo. The idea of bringing the popular board game to life came about during lockdown, after all, what do you do when you have a boarding house full of girls to entertain, and you are lucky enough to have a historically significant castle at your disposal? This hugely popular evening has now become an annual event and is run along the lines of a murder mystery evening.

Boarding staff and other willing staff volunteers, dress up (having secretly planned and assembled their costumes) and assume the character of well-known Cluedo personalities. The girls arrive, exquisitely turned out in formal attire, keen as (Colonel) mustard to get the game underway.

As they mingle with pupils in the Castle’s state rooms, the Cluedo characters (AKA the staff) act out their parts (extremely convincingly in most cases) over drinks and then a formal candlelit dinner, subtly setting the scene and dispensing valuable nuggets of information along the way.

 A terrifying scream signals the beginning of the game. Transformed into detectives, the pupils embark on a 'live' team rendition of the timeless board game, navigating the labyrinthine corridors and State Rooms of Kimbolton Castle. With each roll of the dice, they move closer to solving the mystery, questioning the Cluedo characters who are strategically placed throughout the Castle's rooms.

After several ‘moves’, time is up and each team submits their conclusions as to who did it (or is that ‘who dunnit?’}, where they did it, and with what murder weapon.

 After the event, Mrs Hadden, Houseparent commented “Staff and pupils wholeheartedly entered into the spirit. From the costumes to the candlelit dinner, it’s a genius way to bring the boarding community together”.

Both our boys and girls boarding houses benefit from a fun-packed calendar of events and activities throughout the year including themed dinners, trips to the theatre, adventure centres and theme parks. With full, weekly, flexi and occasional boarding on offer at Kimbolton, there’s always the opportunity to get in on the action. Boarding is becoming an increasingly popular choice as our flexible options are well suited to families with busy lives, as well as pupils who enjoy the home from home, family feel of Kimbolton.

Thanks to its rich and fascinating history, stunning interior and sweeping grounds, Kimbolton Castle is perfectly suited to hosting School and private events. Located in the historic market town of Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, the Castle was the family seat of the Dukes of Manchester from 1615 to 1950. As well as being the home of Kimbolton School, it is famous as the final home of King Henry VIII's first wife, Queen Katharine of Aragon who reportedly died in what is now the Headmaster’s study.

And if that doesn’t make it the perfect setting for a game of Live Cluedo, nothing does!