3/18: The Sherlock Holmes Museum and the set of Sherlock
The game is afoot! Well, it's almost afoot; 16 more days of pre-game first.
A few years ago, I really got into reading the Sherlock Holmes stories, starting with Study in Scarlet, Sign of the Four, and A Scandal in Bohemia. Now and then I pick up my kindle and continue to read from The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume 1 (yes, I'm still on the first volume!) I'd be lying if I said that the Robert Downey Jr. movie isn't what got me interested in Sherlock Holmes, but that was only the beginning. Because then Sherlock came out. (More on that later). In short, I love the Sherlock Holmes stories and even though Holmes and Watson never really existed, you can visit their home at 221B Baker Street. The very first museum dedicated to a fictional person!
That's right ladies and gentlemen, you can take a tour through the flat of Mr. Holmes and see all of the trinkets collected from his numerous cases.
I know, I know. They aren't real people, no one actually lived there, you'll pay around 15 US dollars to get in and see wax figures and dusty furniture. I don't even care. While I was debating whether I wanted to spend the money to get in or not (and I still am) I read this positive review on TripAdvisor that convinced me to at least check out the front and spend that money in the gift shop:
Surprisingly satisfying
Given that there never was a real Sherlock Holmes and that neither he nor a John Watson actually ever lived at 221B Baker Street, you'd have a hard time believing that if you visit the Sherlock Holmes museum. Yes, it's a bit cheesy, but if you are a Holmes fan you'll enjoy it and if you are a Sherlockian expert you'll likely be impressed at the level of detail to which the builders of the museum paid attention. If you like, you can even don a deerstalker hat (which Holmes never actually wore except in movies) and lounge across from your bowler-hatted companion by the fireplace in the two matching lounge chairs provided. You can see artifacts drawn from the stories, admire the accuracy of the bullet holes spelling out "VR (Victoria Regina)" on the far wall, and look at the collection of posed wax figures acting out scenes from the stories on the third floor of the flat, including the bust of Holmes himself and the menacing high-domed figure of Moriarty lurking in one corner. There is a nice (but pricy) gift shop next door for any Holmsean treasures you just have to carry away with you. We had a ball, and I do not care if that's nerdy of us.
You go Glenn Coco! I don't care if it's nerdy of me either! (You're going to find out HOW nerdy I am by the end of this countdown.) What a fun thing to do in the country where the most portrayed character in film was created! Over 70 actors have played the part in over 200 films and that doesn't include plays or television series.
Ah, yes. Television series. Television series such as Sherlock and Elementary. And what a fan of Sherlock I am. A modern day Sherlock Holmes and John Watson solve modern adaptions of classic stories in modern day London! (It's all quite modern.) If you have Netflix, close this blog and watch it now, if you don't have Netflix, get a month free just to watch Sherlock.
Lucky for the geek in me, the outside of Sherlock's building is filmed in London. It's not really on Baker Street, but North Gower Street. And that cute little diner next to/under it? Yup, that's open for business.
Two 221B Baker Streets to visit? I can deal with that!
As an honorable mention, I'd also like to mention The Sherlock Holmes Pub. Although I can't say I'll for sure make it there, it's beautiful and decked out as well. Read about it on their website!
~Jamie
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