Picture this: you're in Victorian London, where horse-drawn carriages clatter along cobbled streets and every corner is shrouded in the kind of fog that Sherlock Holmes would find perfect for solving mysteries. But the mystery-loving Victorians weren’t just interested in real crimes—they were utterly obsessed with fake crime scenes and the latest in alarm technology!

It all started with their love for drama and intrigue. Imagine your well-to-do neighbors staging elaborate crime scenes in their parlors, all for the thrill of it! They’d draw chalk outlines of “victims,” scatter fake jewels about, and toss around a few household items to make it look like a grand heist had occurred. Why go to such lengths? Well, it turns out, the Victorians had a flair for theatrics, and these “crimes” gave them a thrilling excuse to play detective, practice some amateur sleuthing, and, most importantly, impress their dinner party guests.

And what’s a good crime scene without an over-the-top security system? The Victorians loved nothing more than a good gadget, and they took home security to a whole new level—mostly in the name of fashionable fear. They installed bells, whistles, and even early versions of tripwires to ward off imaginary intruders. One could argue that these were more about impressing visitors than actually stopping a thief. After all, what better way to boast about your wealth than by showing off your latest “burglar-proof” invention, even if it was just as likely to terrify the family cat as it was a would-be thief?

The combination of faux crimes and exaggerated alarms turned many a Victorian home into something akin to a theatrical set. The thrill of playing both victim and protector was simply irresistible.