by Escape Quest (website)
Chapelgates, 84b Mill Street, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 6NR
2-10 players
Languages: EN
60 minutes
Twins Holly and Ivy were born on Christmas day almost 20 years ago and have been inseparable all their lives. They’ve always dreamed of becoming private detectives, maybe even opening their own agency eventually. That dream seemed a million miles away until one day when both girls were working in Mrs Riddle's pantry as waitresses Holly overheard a conversation between Mr Mistletoe the local private detective and his wife discussing how the agency needed an office junior.
The next day Holly & Ivy were waiting on the doorstep of the agency when Mr Mistletoe arrived for his day at work. They convinced the elderly detective to give them both a trial by offering to work for free until they had proven themselves. Giving up their jobs at the tea rooms both girls arrived bright and early for their first day excited for the cases they might be involved in, however Mr Mistletoe had other ideas and both Holly and Ivy were soon to find out that the only tasks they were allowed to perform were making tea, sweeping the floor and running errands. They may as well have continued working in the tea rooms as at least they’d get paid!
Six months later on Christmas eve 1908, Holly and Ivy confronted Mr Mistletoe about the lack of detective work they were allowed to do, and yet again he just mocked them saying "You're just girls! You can't expect me to trust you with anything important." He then laughed and said "If you think this work is easy, then I’ll set you a challenge - If you can solve enough cases that we have left on file and complete your own duties before you lock up tonight at 8pm, maybe then I will trust you both with more work. I’ll leave some golden stars for you to collect so I can see how well you’ve progressed, collect 5 stars each and I’ll promote you both to junior detectives" and off he went home to enjoy his Christmas break.
The girls stared after him in disbelief at his rudeness yet again and looked at the clock to see it was now 7pm, if only they had a way to show him they were worthy of a promotion, but no matter how capable they may be, it would be impossible to solve enough cases within just one hour!
Can you detectives help Holly and Ivy to prove Mr Mistletoe wrong and get the promotion they so deserve?
Overall rating
based on ratings from 27 users
combined with 1 pro review
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Player reviews
As always, escape quest have pulled off another excellent ER. We played as a two and had plenty to do! Original story with the set designed to fit the plot. Mixture between observational puzzles and problem solving. As usual, padlock heavy but it works well for the business model. Can’t wait for the next room!
Probably not my favourite Chapelgate Mystery. But still an amazing experience by any other metric. Highly recommend if you are able to make a booking, as they fill up so fast.
Absolutely phenomenal escape room and we have done a lot! Elaine is the best and most enthusiastic host. She and her husband have done an amazing job with these rooms and we are definitely going back every time it rotates. Really immersive and the puzzles are varied and challenging. We have so much fun every time, the hour flies by so quick, can't recommend enough!
Such a beautiful set and a clever concept that links all of the experiences together. Great variety of puzzles - mixture of observation, logic, maths, and more! Great smorgasbord of puzzles and we were chuffed to get all of them solved in time too!
Our 4th time at Macclesfield Escapequest and it gets better everytime. We're already booked in for the next installment. The room as always was set perfectly with plenty of puzzles to be working on at any one time. The hosting is excellent as always. The awards these rooms have won speak for themselves.
A perfect room to play in December, and to celebrate a birthday! Beautiful set design, plenty puzzles to work through in a great mix of styles, and such a fun story! Not as hard as Henry Fortune so more accessible for a Christmas party if you’re looking for a great activity to do with friends/colleagues, and wonderful hosting as always!
The Mecca of UK escape rooms. It certainly met expectation. I can see why they lead the way and enthusiasts seek them out. The stories are true. Elaine was a delight!
The room was absolutely gorgeous and was in awe of the size/craftsmanship.
Not five stars on basis of the lock heavy aspect. Puzzles were quite different to others we have played and challenged us as a group. Just one puzzle left us hanging. We should have noticed it!
Mike and Elaine have done it again! Christmas in Chapelgate is utterly magical, with a sprinkling of Dickensian charm and the usual attention to detail. The puzzles are plentiful and varied, beautifully handcrafted and an absolute joy to solve.
This is a classic Chapelgate escape room with a festive twist so you won't find tinsel or puzzles about the twelve days of Christmas; what you will find is 60 minutes of sheer escape indulgence in a setting we didn't want to leave. Truly - and literally, this time - a gold star escape room.
Padlock heaven! Escape Quest delivers again, this time with a side of Christmas cheer. Fantastic room with some great puzzles, although I do think this was the easiest of the instalments. Hosting impeccable as always - every experience here always is very personable and you truly feel valued. Please support this company and play every room they’ve got!
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- Best UK escape rooms 2023 by Escape the Review virtuosoThese are the 100 highest rated escape rooms in the UK, as of 31st Dec 2023, based on combined ratings from enthusiasts, bloggers and experts - every game here comes highly recommended.