YOUNGSTERS were transported back to the time of Charles II and had to turn detective to try and solve a murder mystery.

The murder history trail at Hall Place, Bourne Road, Bexley, was just one of the summer activities organised by Anne-Marie Gill, education officer for the Bexley Heritage Trust.

Based on a former owner of Hall Place, Sir Robert Austin, children had to discover who killed a household servant William Bladderwick the only fictional character in the story. It turned out Sir Robert himself was the guilty man.

The parts of all the historical characters were played by trust staff and volunteers. "We all had a whale of a time," said Miss Gill.