This autumn, we explore the darker side of the natural world with a Gothic season of Poisons & Potions.
From poisonous plants and mysterious remedies to murderous plots and ghostly tales, we invite you to discover what happens when medicine, magic and murder become dangerously difficult to tell apart.
Discover the strange and sinister stories in our collection, follow clues through the House, encounter witches, monsters and things that go bump in the night, or take your seat at the table for a murder mystery where one unfortunate guest has already taken her last sip…
What’s On: Gothic Season
Library Display: Poisons & Potions
Wednesday 21 October to Sunday 1 November
What separates a medicine from a poison, and a household remedy from something altogether more sinister?
Find out in this special Gothic display exploring poisons, potions and remedies. Discover botanical works revealing plants with the power to heal or harm, alongside historic recipes and remedies that might raise a modern eyebrow. Then enter the world of Gothic fiction, where poison becomes a weapon of secrecy, revenge and murder in some of the period’s darkest stories.
Free with admission.
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Halloween Kids’ Trails: The Poison Puzzle
Wednesday 21 October to Sunday 1 November
Calling all young detectives! A mysterious case is unfolding at Chawton House, and we need your help to solve it. Follow the clues around the House, hunt for hidden evidence and put your detective skills to the test as you investigate suspicious plants, peculiar potions and mysterious ingredients. Can you crack the clues and solve the Poison Puzzle?
Free with admission.
*
Indoor Theatre: Ghost Stories After Dark
Monday 26 October
House open from 5.30pm | Drinks: 6.30pm | Performance: 7–8pm
As darkness falls, gather in the Great Hall for three classic ghost stories performed by actor Dominic Gerrard. Encounter the terrible consequences of three wishes in W. W. Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw; an unearthly visitor haunting the mouldering chambers of a young lawyer in Charles Dickens’ The Lawyer and the Ghost; and the horrifying discovery awaiting a young traveller seeking shelter in Wilkie Collins’ The Dead Hand. Following his acclaimed solo performances of A Christmas Carol, Dominic returns to Chawton House for an atmospheric evening of suspense, humour and supernatural terror.
Tickets: £18pp including a welcome drink | £12 for under 18s
Suitable for ages 12+
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Halloween Half Term Kids Craft Day
Tuesday 27 October
10.30am-4pm
For one day only, the House belongs to the kids! Bring your little witches, wizards, ghosts and ghouls for a frightfully fun day of trails, crafts and Halloween adventures. Explore the Poison Puzzle trail, run around the gardens and make your own broomstick in the Courtyard. Young witches and wizards can also join our Potion-Making Workshops at 11am or 2pm, creating their very own spooky concoction to take home.
Tickets: Kids House Entry £5 | Adult House Entry £10
Potion-Making Workshop add-on: £3pp
House entry includes the Poison Puzzle trail, gardens and broomstick-making. Booking is essential for Potion-Making Workshops.
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Poisons and Potions: Gothic Supper & A Murder Mystery…
Wednesday 28 October
7–9.30pm | Arrival from 6.45pm
A candlelit supper. A mysterious death. And a house full of suspects…
Chawton House, 28 October 1798. A supper party has ended in catastrophe. Lady Augusta Vale is dead. Her physician speaks of weak nerves and an exhausted constitution, but a threatening letter suggests a darker explanation. Somewhere among the household papers lies the truth.
Over a Gothic-inspired supper, work with your fellow guests to unravel a mystery of poisons, potions, secrets and suspicious behaviour. Examine the evidence, follow the clues and see if you can identify the culprit before the evening is over.
No acting required – just bring your powers of deduction.
Tickets: £40pp, including a welcome drink on arrival. Wine and soft drinks available to purchase separately.
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Gothic House Tour
Friday 30 October
Arrival: 6.30pm | Tour: 7-8.15pm
Are you brave enough to visit Chawton House after dark?
As night falls, follow us through the shadowy rooms of Chawton House and into the world of Gothic literature. Discover the secrets of the House, its portraits and the books within, as our lantern-lit tour explores witches and poisons, monsters and murder, supernatural terrors and even the Gothic apocalypse.
Be on the lookout for ghostly apparitions and veiled mysteries as we shine our lanterns into the darkness…
Tickets: £15pp, including a Gothic cocktail or soft drink on arrival.
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Join us… if you dare – we promise to keep the ghosts on their best behaviour!
Whether you come to solve a poisoning, brew a potion, hear a ghost story or simply explore Chawton House after dark, there is something waiting for visitors of all ages this Gothic season.
Just remember: every remedy has its risks…