The ‘navvies’ of Chalk Farm: fist fights, rowdy pubs and raffling a dead body
August 29, 2024
Life was dangerous, drunken and relentlessly tough for the men who transformed the neighbourhood carving out the railways
If you’re a fan of competitive trivia, a lover of the classic pub quiz, or just looking for an unusual night out with a group of friends or colleagues, have you ever considered climbing into a boxing ring to see who will emerge ultimately victorious?
That’s the experience now on offer at Quiz Boxing, the new attraction located just opposite Camden Road Overground station, but don’t worry, you won’t have to take any blows on the actual chin.
Quiz Boxing is more like a TV game show, “think The Chase, The Weakest Link or Who Wants to be a Millionaire?,” says manager, Georgina.
It takes place with all the lights and showbiz razmataz of a custom-built arena, where you’ll duke it it out mentally rather than physically, (so the only bruises will be to your pride, if you lose).
Quiz Boxing is a game concept that’s new to the UK,” owner David reveals. “It actually originally comes from France, where quiz game rooms are very popular. After the success of Mission: Breakout, the escape room centre we opened nearby in 2016, we thought it would be great to bring this new quiz game concept to London.”
Every arena has six game stations, where you can play solo or in pairs, (so it works for groups of 4-12 people). The game is played using buzzers, and features a completely customisable range of thousands of trivia questions on topics including music, history, TV and cinema, sports and more – you might even want to include some cheeky ones of of your own, just for your group.
The game lasts 60 minutes and consists of multiple rounds requiring different skills, all hosted by a virtual moderator. Each player also has a selection of boxing-related jokers to play, ranging from the uppercut – which prevents a player earning points – to the hook – where you get to steal their points.
“We visited the space in Royal College Street just before Covid struck,” says David, “so it was a long wait before the situation got safer and another long wait to get the planning granted and works completed. Finally, a few weeks ago we finished construction on our three arenas, set inside the railway arch, which really gives them the TV set atmosphere we were aiming to create.
“We’ve had some really great teams so far, and hearing all of the laughter, shouting and singing coming from the games shows our hard-work has paid off. We are rated 5 stars on TripAdvisor, and our goal for 2024 is to work our way to the top of the list.”
Dare we say, it sounds like a knockout?
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Quiz Boxing is at 178b Royal College Street, NW1 0SP
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