The Mysterious Affair at Sterling Hall Murder Mystery – A 19th Birthday Party
Back in 2021 we hosted our first Murder Mystery for a 16th Birthday and it was such a hit we had to do it again! So far I’ve thrown four more – a couple for birthdays and a couple as farewell parties for friends – with another coming up in a couple weeks. I have been terrible about sharing any of them here on the blog, so I’m going to start with The Mysterious Affair at Sterling Hall Murder Mystery which I threw for our eldest daughter’s 19th birthday. It was so much fun!
Once again we purchased the Murder Mystery from Shot in the Dark Mysteries:
“The Mysterious Affair at Stirling Hall has been designed to be played as a Georgian or Victorian Era or murder mystery (think of these as a Jane Austen murder mystery party, for example) or as an Edwardian Era murder mystery (more of a Downton Abbey themed murder mystery party).”
We kinda combined the two with Austen decorations and added a prize for best male and female costumes inspired by either Austen or Downton Abbey! (Free PDF Download/Printable of the voting cards I made here.)
(We purchased the 18 suspects + 2 witnesses package from Shot in the Dark Mysteries)
.: Party Decorations :.
For the decorations, I had so much fun blending Austen-inspired details with a touch of murder mystery mixed in! We used Austen books and quotes (I dug up and printed some that tied into our murder mystery theme – download my free printables here) and displayed them around the house. I reused the homemade birthday banner from her earlier Jane Austen-themed party for her 14th birthday, added lots of balloons, and placed teapots and teacups on the table for that proper English touch.
To complete the look, we also included Austen art from Sleightholm Folk Art , dolls from Marzipantz, the Penguin Clothbound Jane Austen Set, candles, and lots of roses! It all came together beautifully – lots of pink, feminine, and just mysterious enough for the murder mystery theme!
You can download the quote documents I created here. I just printed them out and mounted them to pink card stock.
Custom Book Blanket I ordered back in 2017 from Sweet Sequels.
A punch bowl full of prizes (mostly from Trader Joe’s) and we also filled the little girls book cart with Austen themed books too!
.: Costumes :.
When I sent out the suspect packets I told all of our guests: Costumes (dressy and/or suspect based – think Gregorian/Victorian/Edwardian Eras) are optional but highly encouraged! We’ll have a prize for the vote on favorite costumes both male & female! Five of our kids were assigned suspect roles. The birthday girl was Lady Adella Westby.
“Wife of Lord Henry Westby and Lady of Stirling Hall, Lady Westby is class and grace personified. At her husband’s side, Lady Westby ensures the running of Stirling Hall. In her spare time, attempts to coordinate the marriage of her daughter, Lady Lila Westby, to be a happy union for her daughter and benefit to the standing of the Westby family as a whole. Lady Westby wears a long dress made from luxurious material, large jewelry and long satin gloves.“
Some of the costume supplies we purchased to add to our ever growing costume collection: White Satin Gloves, Black Satin Gloves, Retro Ruffle Aprons with Pockets, Women’s Susan B. Anthon Black/White Costume, Girl’s Costume, Gentleman’s 3-Piece Victorian Costume. The rest of what they wore were things we already had, including the Periodic Table Tie, Leather Bag, and Peacock costume (from Gymboree years ago)!
Dr. Buford Macy is the town doctor and frequently makes house calls to Stirling Hall whenever he is needed. While arrogant, candid and sometimes outright offensive, Buford Macy is a good doctor and has taken care of the Westbys for decades. Buford Macy wears a dress shirt and tie with a white medical jacket and carries a black medical bag.
Chiquita: Ettie O’Delle is Lady Lila’s ladies’ maid. Soft-spoken and mild-mannered, Ettie is well-liked by both the staff beneath the stairs as well as those in the house. While she is sweet and kind, she can be ruthless when she needs to be, and will quickly scold the other servants if they speak out of turn or against the Westbys. Ettie wears a black dress with white aprons.
Rose: A newer addition to the serving staff at Stirling Hall, Florence Monroe is a woman with ambition above her station. She frequently condescends to her fellow servants “below the stairs” and takes every opportunity to make it apparent that she considers herself above everyone else. Florence wears a plain black dress with white aprons.
“Bud” decided to dress up as a servant and our littlest girls picked out favorite costumes from their collection to wear to the party too!
.: The Menu :.
.: Suspect Guides & Name Tags :.
I’ve been reusing Badge Holders and Clips from Walmart for all the parties. You can also find some here. I used this Rose Floral Clipboard Folio for all my Host Materials.
My beautiful Chiltern Classic Editions of Emma and Pride & Prejudice were also used as decorations. They have a boxed set of Jane Austen books now!
.: Our Guests Arrive :.
Showing “Lord Henry Westby” the big (fake) diamond on her ring finger, while trying not to fall over laughing! Her brothers looking on skeptically!
.: A Murder Is Announced :.
After everyone arrived, and had had a chance to get some food, we began the mystery with the Announcement of Murder. Our package came with an audio file, but I opted to read the transcript to the teens. Afterwards each of the suspects introduced themselves and read their bio to everyone.
.: The Suspects and Sleuths :.
A few quick group photos out front before starting the investigations!
.: The Investigations :.
The investigation portion of the mystery was next! I set the timer for 90 minutes of investigations. I assign all the roles each time but I never know until “The Big Reveal” who committed the crime or any of the details. It makes is so much fun for everyone!
SPOILER ALERT: When it came to assigning the roles, I tried my best to be thoughtful about who played which character—especially when it came to the “couples.” I really did try to avoid any implied love interests between the teens… but I completely failed!
Of course, the two characters who ended up with supposed love letters between them were the pair who have been teased about each other ever since they were like five! (Shaking my head while laughing at the joke on me!)
She played Lady Harriet Westby and he was cast as Mr. Byron Gilbert. It made for some very entertaining moments during the evening!
Mr. Gilbert is a guest at Stirling Hall, and has been staying with The Westbys for a week. He is very well mannered, and most who meet him consider him to be an absolute delight. A single young man with a large financial sum each year, Mr. Gilbert is set to inherit Prestgale Abbey, a large estate not two hours from Stirling Hall. As such, Mr. Gilbert has become a much-sought visitor, and his stay at Stirling Hall has sparked whispers about the fact that his visit may result in the young bachelor finally selecting a wife. Mr. Gilbert wears formal white tie attire.
The middle of the Westby daughters, Lady Harriet is the plainest of the three. She is agreeable though, and desperate to get out from under the shadow of Stirling Hall and her rank and experience the world. Adventurous yet distinguished, Lady Harriet wears dresses of rich fabric in the most cutting-edge styles of the day.
.: The Big Reveal :.
.: Nineteen Candles :.
We finished the night by singing Happy Birthday and lighting nineteen candles for the birthday girl. After all the laughter and mystery, it was the perfect ending to such a fun evening!
Happy Birthday!
Scroll through more of our past birthday parties here or here.
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