The Sherlock Holmes

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The Sherlock Holmes in 2022 10 Northumberland Street London.jpg
The Sherlock Holmes in 2022

The Sherlock Holmes is a Victorian-themed public house in Northumberland Street near Charing Cross railway station and Trafalgar Square which contains a large collection of memorabilia related to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. [1] [2] The original collection was put together for display in Baker Street in London during the Festival of Britain in 1951. [1] [3] [4]

Contents

Northumberland Arms

The Sherlock Holmes was originally a small hotel, known briefly in the 1880s as the Northumberland Hotel, and later as the Northumberland Arms, under the latter name appearing in the 1892 Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor". The Victorian Turkish baths that Holmes and Watson used to frequent in the stories was located right beside the hotel at 25 Northumberland Avenue. [5] The entrance to the adjacent women's Turkish baths can still be seen in Craven Passage at the rear of the men's baths. [3] It has been conjectured by some Holmes enthusiasts and scholars that the present building was the Northumberland Hotel which featured in the 1901 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles . [2]

Festival of Britain

The displays in The Sherlock Holmes grew out of the Festival of Britain of 1951, when Marylebone Public Library, with the support of the Abbey National (which had its headquarters on the purported site of 221B Baker Street), decided to create an exhibition [6] based on the fictional detective. Four Holmes enthusiasts (with the support of the family of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) designed and planned the exhibition, collecting materials (many of them donated) for display, including a Persian slipper to hold Holmes's tobacco, a gasogene for Dr Watson's soda, and a jack-knife for Holmes to pin his unanswered correspondence to the mantelpiece with. In Abbey House on Baker Street Holmes' sitting room at 221B Baker Street was created. [1] Each day crumpets were supplied by a local baker and these were left on a plate in the sitting room with two different sets of bite marks. [7]

Rear view of the reconstruction of Holmes' sitting room Sherlock Holmes tableau 1.jpg
Rear view of the reconstruction of Holmes' sitting room

The Northumberland Arms was refurbished and reopened under its present name in December 1957. Its owners, Whitbread & Co., were fortunate to be able to purchase the entire Festival of Britain Sherlock Holmes exhibit after it returned from a world tour, [1] [8] including New York where it was displayed at the Plaza Galleries. [7] The idea was to install the exhibit in its own permanent home in a theme pub in the centre of London where it would appeal to Holmes enthusiasts from around the world who visited that city. [3]

The pub was restored to a late Victorian form [9] and the main exhibit, a detailed replica of a corner of Holmes' fictional apartment, was installed on the upstairs floor, [1] where it can be viewed behind a plate glass wall from both the roof garden and the first-floor Sherlock Holmes restaurant and through small windows in the upstairs hallway. [3] The displays in the bars include theatre posters, Dr Watson's old service revolver, political cartoons and the stuffed and mounted head of the Hound of the Baskervilles. [3] [7] [8] [10]

Over the years the exhibits in the downstairs bar areas have been augmented with photographs of the actors who have played Holmes and Watson since the original display was set up. The collection is curated and maintained by the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. [11]

Today The Sherlock Holmes is owned by the Bury St Edmunds–based brewer Greene King. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherlock Holmes</span> Fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard.

<i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> Crime novel by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely in Dartmoor, Devon in England's West Country and follows Holmes and Watson investigating the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his apparent death in "The Final Problem", and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character's eventual revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baker Street Irregulars</span> Fictional characters in Sherlock Holmes stories

The Baker Street Irregulars are fictional characters who appear in three Sherlock Holmes stories, specifically two novels and one short story, by Arthur Conan Doyle. They are street boys who are employed by Holmes as intelligence agents. The name has subsequently been adopted by other organizations, most notably a prestigious and exclusive literary society founded in the United States by Christopher Morley in 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">221B Baker Street</span> Address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes

221B Baker Street is the London address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the United Kingdom, postal addresses with a number followed by a letter may indicate a separate address within a larger, often residential building. Baker Street in the late 19th century was a high-class residential district, and Holmes's apartment would probably have been part of a Georgian terrace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inspector Lestrade</span> Fictional character from Sherlock Holmes

Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade, is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel A Study in Scarlet, which was published in 1887. The last story in which he appears is the short story "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs", which was first published in 1924 and was included in the final collection of Sherlock Holmes stories by Doyle, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlockiana is a term which has been used to refer to various categories of materials and content related to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by Arthur Conan Doyle. The word "Sherlockiana" has been used for literary studies and scholarship concerning Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes pastiches in print and other media such as films, and memorabilia associated with Sherlock Holmes. Sherlockiana may be defined as "anything about, inspired by, or tangentially concerning" Sherlock Holmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherlock Holmes Museum</span> Private museum in London

The Sherlock Holmes Museum is a privately run museum in London, England, dedicated to the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. It is the world's first museum dedicated to the literary character Sherlock Holmes. It opened in 1990 and is situated on Baker Street, bearing the number 221B by permission of the City of Westminster, although it lies between numbers 237 and 241, near the north end of Baker Street in central London close to Regent's Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northumberland Avenue</span> Street in central London

Northumberland Avenue is a street in the City of Westminster, Central London, running from Trafalgar Square in the west to the Thames Embankment in the east. The road was built on the site of Northumberland House, the London home of the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland between 1874 and 1876, and on part of the parallel Northumberland Street.

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Sherlock Holmes has long been a popular character for pastiche, Holmes-related work by authors and creators other than Arthur Conan Doyle. Their works can be grouped into four broad categories:

<i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> (1959 film) 1959 film by Terence Fisher

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The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 2002 television adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel of the same name.

Mrs. Hudson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. She is the landlady of 221B Baker Street, the London residence in which Sherlock Holmes lives.

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Sherlock is a British mystery crime drama television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. Thirteen episodes have been produced, with four three-part series airing from 2010 to 2017 and a special episode that aired on 1 January 2016. The series is set in the present day in which it aired, while the one-off special features a Victorian period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories. Sherlock is produced by the British network BBC, along with Hartswood Films, with Moffat, Gatiss, Sue Vertue and Rebecca Eaton serving as executive producers. The series is supported by the American station WGBH-TV Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series on PBS, where it also airs in the United States. The series is primarily filmed in Cardiff, Wales, with North Gower Street in London used for exterior shots of Holmes and Watson's 221B Baker Street residence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Watson</span> Fictional character, associate and friend of Sherlock Holmes

John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel A Study in Scarlet (1887). "The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place" (1927) is the last work of Doyle featuring Watson and Holmes, although their last appearance in the canonical timeline is in "His Last Bow" (1917).

<i>The Sign of Four</i> (1983 film) British TV series or programme

The Sign of Four is a 1983 British made-for-television mystery film directed by Desmond Davis and starring Ian Richardson and David Healy. The film is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1890 novel of the same name, the second novel to feature Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

The Hound of the Baskervilles is a Canadian television film directed by Rodney Gibbons and starring Matt Frewer and Kenneth Welsh. The film is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel of the same name.

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"The Adventure of Henry Baskerville and a Dog" is an episode of the NHK puppetry "Sherlock Holmes" that was broadcast on 4 and 11 January 2015 by NHK Educational TV.

Sherlock Holmes fandom is an international, informal community of fans of the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. The fans are known as Sherlockians or Holmesians. Many fans of Sherlock Holmes participate in societies around the world, and engage in a variety of activities such as discussion, tourism, and collecting.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Thomson, Henry Douglas (1958). The Sherlock Holmes Catalogue of the Collection in the Bars and the Grill Room and in the Reconstruction of Part of the Living Room at 221 B Baker Street. Whitbread.
  2. 1 2 Harrison, Michael (1972). The London of Sherlock Holmes. Drake Publishers. p. 138. ISBN   9780877492238.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "History". The Sherlock Holmes Public House and Restaurant. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Northumberland Street". Sherlockology. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Charing Cross Turkish Baths for Gentlemen". Victorian Turkish Baths. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Sherlock Holmes Exhibition Westminster Libraries & Archives. Retrieved 28 March 2024
  7. 1 2 3 "The Society". The Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  8. 1 2 "The Sherlock Holmes". City Pub Life. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "Sherlock Holmes 221B Baker Street London". John H. Watson M.D. website. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "The London of Sherlock Holmes". sherlock-holmes.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Collection – The Sherlock Holmes Pub". The Sherlock Holmes Society of London. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  12. ↑ "The Sherlock Holmes". Greene King. 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2014.

51°30′26″N0°07′32″W / 51.5072°N 0.1255°W / 51.5072; -0.1255

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