October 18th, 2024.



Newhaven Fort is set to open an escape room next year, bringing a totally new experience to the historic landmark when it reopens in early 2025.

The team at the fort has been busy working with Brighton-based company Pier Pressure to draw up plans for the new escape room while the attraction is closed during its £7.5 million restoration.

Titled The Lucky Escape, the escape room will transport visitors back to 1979, when Newhaven Fort is being restored following years of disuse. Teams will be challenged to recover a missing briefcase full of cash linked to a high-profile personality with a notorious gambling addiction who has disappeared in strange circumstances.

With just one hour to uncover clues before the getaway ferry leaves, the pressure will be on to find the money and retrace the steps of the missing man. Luckily, the restoration at the Fort has shone new light on where the money could be…

While the story nods to the well-known disappearance of Lord Lucan, whose car was found abandoned in Newhaven in the 1970s, the teams have created a new narrative which they hope will intrigue visitors of all ages.

The game will include a variety of tactile and cognitive challenges designed to get everyone involved, and will feature adjustable difficulty levels, making it suitable for escape room novices and families, as well as seasoned escapers.

General manager Lindsay Lawrence explains: “We’re so excited to announce our plans for The Lucky Escape at the Fort.

“As part of our £7.5 million restoration, which includes brand new exhibitions, a revamped adventure playground and new access to unseen areas, we think the escape room will appeal to a wide range of people and provide another fun activity for visitors to our town.

“While the story takes inspiration from Lord Lucan’s disappearance here in Newhaven, we were keen to develop a new concept which is firmly embedded in the setting of Newhaven Fort.

“We decided on a 1970s theme, fittingly when the fort last underwent major restoration, which means we’re going to have some fabulous sets for teams to explore, including a bar and a secret hideout, with lots of props and references to that decade.”

Once complete, the escape room will be situated inside the Grand Magazine area, originally built to hold the fort’s stores of gunpowder.

The restoration project, which includes essential repairs and maintenance work to preserve the Sussex landmark, is taking place throughout 2024, with the fort due to reopen to the public in early 2025.

For more information visit www.newhavenfort.org.uk