The Sherlock Holmes Museum in London is dedicated to the fictional detective and his companion, Dr. Watson. Housed in a Georgian townhouse, the museum recreates the interior of Holmes’ apartment and displays period artifacts. Some descendants of Conan Doyle have criticized the museum, but it has exclusive rights to receive and respond to Sherlock Holmes mail. The museum’s address, 221b Baker Street, was given to it in 1990, despite the house being located between 237 and 241 Baker Street at 239.
The Sherlock Holmes Museum, located in London, England, is dedicated to the historical era and life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and his companion, Dr. John H. Watson. In the Sherlock Holmes stories, the detective and Dr Watson live at 221b Baker Street in London as tenants of Mrs Hudson from 1881 to 1904. Established in 1990, the museum is housed in a Georgian townhouse which is actually between 237 and 241 Baker Street at 239 but uses the 221b Baker Street address with permission from the City of Westminster. The collection includes period furniture, wax figures and Sherlock Holmes memorabilia.
The house that houses the Sherlock Holmes Museum is similar to the Holmes residence featured in the stories and was a Victorian boarding house. The museum attempts to faithfully recreate the interior of the detective’s apartment described by Conan Doyle, including the first floor study overlooking Baker Street, decorated with period furniture and objects. Visitors are invited to immerse themselves in the setting of the stories and experience what the life of the detective in his house might have been like.
Museum tours are often conducted by staff in person, usually posing as Dr. Watson or the detective himself. On display are period artifacts similar to those described by Conan Doyle in the stories, including the detective’s violin, library, and scientific instruments. Visitors can also climb the famous 17 steps from the street to the first floor. Across the street from the museum is a gift shop featuring Sherlockiana and props from the Granada TV Sherlock Holmes series which aired between 1984 and 1994 starring Jeremy Brett as the detective.
Some descendants of Conan Doyle have publicly criticized the opening of the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Since the detective is a fictional character, some family members object to the museum because it suggests Holmes actually existed. There are few Conan Doyle possessions in the museum itself because the family had sold most of it at auction. Visitors to the Sherlock Holmes Museum should note that this is a recreation of a fictional setting and not the fictional detective’s actual home.
When Conan Doyle created his detective, Baker Street addresses didn’t go as high as 221, but house numbers were reassigned in the 1930s. At the time, the famous address was given to the Abbey National building. As a result, the building began to receive voluminous correspondence for Sherlock Holmes and had to appoint a permanent employee to read and answer all letters.
In 1990, the address 221b Baker Street was given to the Sherlock Holmes Museum even though the house is actually between 237 and 241 Baker Street at 239. A blue plaque including the address was unveiled when the museum was opened. The Abbey National objected to assigning the museum to 221b because the house was out of sequence with other street numbers and because the Abbey National had been answering Sherlock Holmes mail since the 1930s. Abbey House was closed in 2005 and the Sherlock Holmes Museum’s exclusive right to receive and respond to detective mail was recognised.
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