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| 221B Baker Street, London |
One summer when I was a kid, I picked up a copy of “The Complete Sherlock Holmes” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was one of those thick, hardback books that you’d sometimes find in the bargain bin at K-Mart for three bucks (we didn’t have a Barnes and Noble back then, and we certainly didn’t have Kindles). I took that heavy tome with me the two weeks that summer I stayed with my grandmother near Opp, Alabama, and I consumed it from cover to cover. Never before had I been so preoccupied with a single author’s body of work, and I wouldn’t be so preoccupied again until I found a similar compendium of the works of Edgar Allen Poe.
For a change that summer, I wasn’t intent on destroying cans and bottles via BB guns. I was instead attempting to apply Holmesian logic to everything I observed and experienced. It didn’t really work that well for me. For a time, I assumed deductive reasoning was a valid career option, and I believed that clever disguises were an integral part of all police work.
Ironically (especially considering that, otherwise, I’m a big fan of the big screen) I’ve never been particularly enamored with film portrayals of Sherlock Holmes, though we have enjoyed the steampunk-styled Robert Downey, Jr. movies of late. That is until the current BBC series “Sherlock” came along (thanks again to my buddy Ty for recommending we watch it). We love this adaptation of Sherlock Holmes in modern times starring Benedict Cumberbatch. If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes and haven’t seen any of the “Sherlock” series, you’re in for a treat: find it on Netflix. It’s worth a subscription to Netflix if you don’t already have one.
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| Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective |
So with our return to London, the Sherlock Holmes Museum placed high on our to-do list. We didn’t have grand expectations for a museum based on a fictional character and for which the claim to fame is (primarily) being situated at the location of said fictional character’s home (221b Baker Street, if you’ve forgotten). Reading the descriptions and reviews, we got roughly what we expected: room by room period recreations drawn from Conan Doyle’s writings. There’s Sherlock Holmes’ bedroom and study, complete with books and experiments in progress and lit fireplaces. There’s Watson’s room and office. There’s even a makeshift prison on the top floor of the three story townhouse. Each room is faithfully furnished and decorated as described by the author and as it would have been had Holmes been a historical figure.
But still, it’s hard for me to think of it as a true museum. For that it would have required some artifacts of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s real life, perhaps just some first edition copies of his books or short stories. Nevertheless, it was a fun hour, complete with at least one good photo opp.
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| Chuck Portrays Sherlock Holmes |
Some interesting facts concerning Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a superb cricket player.
- JM Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan, once wrote a short story parodying Sherlock Holmes.
- The first film adaptation of Sherlock Holmes was a 30-second (yes, second) film made in 1900.
- Dr Watson was originally going to be called Ormond Sacker. “Watson” was a great improvement.
- Sherlock Holmes, in fact, was originally named Sherrinford.
- Conan Doyle never has Holmes saying, “Elementary, my dear Watson”, at least not all at one time.
