Sherlock Holmes Museum -221B Baker Street, London walk-through tour
Is it
Jeremy Brett,
Benedict Cumberbatch or
Robert Downey Jnr
..or is it the written works of
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? Whichever
Holmes is your favourite, you will want to visit
The Sherlock Holmes Museum in
London, the spiritual home of the great detective.
The museum is located at
221b Baker Street, London (where else!) in a 4 storey
Victorian house, built in 1815.
Step through the door and you are transported back in time. The house is authentically decorated as if
Sherlock Holmes and his companion
Dr Watson had just stepped out to investigate one of their cases. On display are many familiar objects from the great detective’s stories. My film is a tour around the entire
Sherlock Holmes Museum and shop.
The “consulting detective” Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print in 1887 in “
A Study in Scarlet”, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle went on to write 4 novels and 56 short stories featuring the great detective, as narrated by his trusted companion Dr Watson. The short stories, set in
Victorian/
Edwardian England were popularised in
The Strand Magazine.
Conan Doyle wrote about his crime-solving hero for 10 years before killing him off in 1893 in “
The Final Problem”, then followed an 8 year silence, but due to public pressure Sherlock Holmes returned in
1901, in his most famous adventure, “
The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
The museum takes up the top 3 floors, including the sitting room and bedrooms of
Holmes and Watson. The majority of the rooms are used as exhibit rooms, including life-size figures of Holmes,
Watson and other characters from the books, among the figures you may recognise:
Professor Moriaty.
The King of
Bohemia and
Irene Adler.
Dr
Jabez Wilson From The Redheaded
League.
Brunton from
The Musgrave Ritual.
Dr
Grimesby Roylott from
The Speckled Band.
Charles Augustus Milverton and his assailant.
Such is the detective’s popularity that stories featuring the most well-known detective have been adapted for film, television, radio and even video games.
Plays featuring Sherlock Holmes have been appearing on stage since 1899 and over 70 actors have played Sherlock Holmes on film.
Basil Rathbone starred in 14 popular
Hollywood films in the
1930s and
40s, bringing the character to a world-wide cinema audience. An enigmatic performance but often let down by the material, which now seems somewhat dated. In 2009
Guy Ritchie reinvented the film franchise, with a re-imagining of the great detective using the enigmatic talents of Robert Downey Jnr, perfect for a modern audience.On television Jeremy Brett’s faithful portrayal of Holmes epitomised the tormented soul and true essence of the great detective and was well-supported by
David Burke, then
Edward Hardwicke as Watson. In
2010 the talented
Mark Gatiss and
Steven Moffatt, brought the detective into the modern day, mixing old and new elements superbly and with a terrific performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes.
Holmes' creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a doctor and author, born in
Edinburgh in 1859, where he later studied medicine. He went into medical practice in
1882 in
Plymouth and then Porstmouth, where he started writing for publication. His first Sherlock Holmes story was sold in 1886.
Purchase your tickets inside the museum to the right of 221b Baker Street. The museum is a little pricey especially if you visit as a family but I feel that as a fan this is something that has to be done at least once.
Visit the museum website for current prices. The museum does not include any displays of Holmes in the movies or on TV, which might be a nice addition, and focuses primarily on location and characters from the stories.I would allow yourself between 1-2 hours to browse around the house. I did not have to wait to enter the museum but I understand that at busy times you may expect to queue as the house can only hold a certain number of visitors. The museum is located near
Baker Street tube station, where there is a statue of Sherlock Holmes which is worth seeing.
Musical Credits:
Sherlock Medley on violin by kind permission and performed by the very talented Taryn
Harbridge.
The
Great Avenger by
Silent Partner.
Opus One by Audionautix is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
...)
Artist:
http://audionautix.com/
Sound Credits:
Audio excerpts featured from Sherlock Holmes and the
Secret Weapon,
Terror by Night and the
Woman in
Green.
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 courtesy of
Internet Archive.
Gun shot “loud bang” - Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 audio courtesy
Mike Koenig.
Match lighting sound effect – courtesy of
Berlin Atmospheres (Atmospheres - Sound Effect #0058)
Horse and cart ambient sound (1 hour) white noise – courtesy of sounds relax.
Grandfather Clock Ticking and
Striking 12 Sound Effect- courtesy of sound effects central.
Medieval city market sound effect – courtesy of the MSoundeffects.