Investigate Holmes’ London

Sherlock Holmes is a famous detective. He solved mysteries in London, England around the end of the 19th century. He was particularly famous in the time when his adventures were published but he’s even more popular today some 120 years after he first appeared.

In London, England you can visit the house where he lived and worked.

Now probably the most important thing to say here is that there is no such person as Sherlock Holmes. He’s invented, made-up, he’s fictional but even so- many folk believe there really was such a person. In fact, Holmes is top of the pops when it comes to invented characters. He’s appeared in more plays, books and films than any other fictional character.

The best way to get to know the man is to read his cases. The writer Arthur Conan Doyle penned 60 tales starring the famous sleuth. You can read any or all 60 of these stories. There are many versions still in print and all the tales are freely available on-line. http://www.sherlockian.net/canon/index.html

There are dozens of movies of his stories which you can buy or hire with many great and not-so-great actors having played the role.

But if you want to get a real taste of the life of Holmes, you can visit his home in Baker Street, London. The address is 221B and the number is quite prominent. You can go inside and have a cup of tea poured by the landlady Mrs Hudson and then climb the stairs to the famous sitting-room. Here it was that Holmes and his friend, Dr Watson, discussed their cases. Here they met all manner of people both young and old.

You can see the furniture Holmes used, the fireplace which kept him warm and the objects he made famous – deerstalker hat, pipe and magnifying-glass. There’s even a Persian slipper on the mantle-piece which was used by Holmes as a pouch for his revolting tobacco. Once you read some of the stories or watch a movie or two, entering his London home will make Victorian England come to life.

But there’s a story behind the story. When the detective was first invented and his address announced, there was no such house. Baker Street was quite short and there was no building at 221B Baker. Then in 1930 the local council made a street name change, Baker Street became longer and a real 221B appeared. But that address housed a bank. So when you go to Sherlock’s home, the sign will say 221B but it’s actually another number with the real fictional address just a short distance down the street.

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