LIVE Escape Salisbury expanding and opening a second venue in the city centre.

The new site in Cross Keys Shopping Centre will be home to a new table top game as well as a second escape room experience.

Charlie and Claire Pitcher, who run Live Escape Salisbury, set up their first escape game Spectre five years ago and are excited to be adding a second venue.

Speaking about the expansion, Claire said: "It's been a long time coming really.

"We wanted to but finding the right building has been really hard."

The couple have been searching for a place with its own character that lent itself to the escape room experience.

The former tea room which was also previously the Plume of Feathers pub fit the bill perfectly and they fell in love with the building's features such as the original fire place, historic beams and old post box.

Taking time to learn the industry

This time has also allowed them to learn as much as they can about the industry as Charlie explains: "We took the time to really learn the industry. We played games abroad and over here. We've played lots and lots of games, we know what the standard is in different countries."

New games

The new table top game offers teams a social evening of solving the different puzzles and challenges. It is expected to be up and running by August.

The couple hope to open the escape room, Smallsbury Toy Company, later in the year, which draws inspiration from popular boardgames like Operation, Guess Who? and Cluedo from the 80s and 90s that will bring back a sense of nostalgia for players.

"All of the games are designed to be played in the spirit of the original games," said Charlie.

"It goes back to what we would want and how would we find it fun and what would we want to do."

Getting through pandemic

The couple say the pandemic gave them time to think of the new concepts and designs for the new escape room in Cross Keys.

Charlie said: "In some ways it gave us an ideal amount of time to concentrate and focus on getting this up and running.

"Whilst it was bad because we couldn't open for a year it afforded us the opportunity to do it."

When it was unable to run the games in person Live Escape Salisbury came up with an online online avatar escape room for players, which proved popular especially during lockdown.

What it will bring to Salisbury

"It will bring something fun to do. It is multigenerational as well and is one of the few activities where you can have three generations come along and all get involved and have a great time," said Charlie.

Live Escape Salisbury is also offering a drinks package where teams can pre-book their orders as well as opening it to corporate and team building events.

Claire says since Covid and businesses reopening after the lockdowns there has been a "real push to try and bring some life back into the city".

She added: "We want to get people to come into Salisbury, stay here and enjoy it, and we want people to leave with a memory of the place and playing the escape room and just being in such a great city."

Visit: live-escape.co.uk

Get more Salisbury news. 

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.