In 2024, the Caravan and Motorhome Membership are working a Learn, Tour, and Discover Marketing campaign to encourage individuals to learn extra and go to locations related to e-book settings. We goal to assist promote authors, each previous and new, whereas offering ideas on which places to discover that, at one time, supplied inspiration to those that went on to place pen to paper.
Sherlock Holmes is without doubt one of the most memorable and well-known fictional detectives ever. Whether or not you’re a fan of the books written by Arthur Conan Doyle or have fallen for the crafty and intelligent sleuth after watching the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey Jr, and Henry Cavill painting him, there isn’t a denying that as a personality created again in 1887, he’s nonetheless as well-known, if no more so, at present.
Subsequently, in case you have ever dreamt of following within the footsteps of one of many world’s most celebrated detectives, don your magnifying glasses, put in your deerstalker hats, and head into London, the very lifeblood of Sherlock Holmes’ adventures.
A Complete Information for all Sherlock Holmes Followers Visiting London
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Whether or not you might have a few days or simply 24 hours to navigate across the capital following in Sherlock Holmes and Watson’s footsteps, we’ve the right information for you.
Sherlock Holmes Strolling Tour
📌 Numerous places relying on the tour booked
There isn’t a higher approach to get your bearings than to go on a guided strolling tour, and London’s Sherlock Holmes strolling excursions aren’t nearly following a map; they’re immersive excursions that weave collectively historic truth with fictional aptitude the place your information will transport you again in time and level out the very places that sparked legendary circumstances. You’ll go to locations talked about within the books, TV adaptions and movies and uncover how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, impressed by the actual London he knew, meticulously crafted the damaging, thrilling world Sherlock Holmes inhabits.
You’ll move by the library the place Dr Watson borrowed and go to the restaurant on the Strand, a favorite hang-out of each Conan Doyle and his legendary detective.
There are a lot of totally different excursions, together with a themed strolling tour that begins exterior 224 Piccadilly. Alternatively, you may take a self-guided journey across the metropolis utilizing your smartphone, fixing puzzles as you go.
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221B Baker Road and Sherlock Holmes Museum
📌 221B Baker Road, London, NW1 6XE
Each fan is aware of the handle, and whereas there isn’t a precise residence at 221B, there’s an immersive museum devoted to Holmes and Watson. As you step by way of the doorway, you can be greeted by the meticulously recreated dwelling quarters of Holmes and Watson. Victorian furnishings, curiosities, and private results assist to convey the tales to life, permitting you to virtually hear a violin and odor the pipe tobacco. You may even take a look at your individual deduction expertise with interactive displays that problem you to analyse proof and crack the case.
Uncover fascinating particulars in regards to the inspiration behind the enduring character, and for the last word memento hunter, the museum boasts the world’s most in depth assortment of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia, guaranteeing you allow with a treasured piece of the legend.
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Sherlock Holmes Statue
📌 Entrance to Baker Road Tube Station
The Sherlock Holmes statue, unveiled in 1999, depicts the detective in his deerstalker hat and Inverness cape, standing vigil in London exterior Baker Road tube station, a brief stroll from the fictional detective’s well-known handle of 221B Baker Road.
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Speedy Café
📌 187 North Gower St, Euston Rd, London, NW1 2NJ
This may very well be the right place for a spot of lunch after a morning exploring. Whereas the café retains its unique identify, eagle-eyed Sherlockians will recognise it as Mrs Hudson’s Snax from the BBC’s “Sherlock” collection.
Speedy’s Café, nevertheless, hasn’t simply popped up; it’s a real London greasy spoon with a wealthy historical past. The cafe predates the BBC collection, serving up hearty meals to locals for many years. Step inside and take in the environment – the worn cubicles and pleasant service would possibly simply make you’re feeling such as you’ve stumbled right into a forgotten nook of Victorian London, the right backdrop for a Sherlockian journey.
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The British Library
📌 96 Euston R., London, NW1 2DB
Bookworms will love the treasure trove of supplies associated to Sherlock Holmes housed right here. You may delve into unique manuscripts, uncommon editions, and even historic newspapers which may have impressed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s circumstances.
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New Scotland Yard
📌 New Scotland Yard, 8-10 Broadway, SW1H 0BG
Whereas this location just isn’t straight featured within the unique Sherlock Holmes tales, New Scotland Yard holds a sure attract for followers of each Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for a couple of causes. Firstly, the fictional Scotland Yard depicted within the tales is loosely primarily based on the actual Metropolitan Police Service, which is headquartered at New Scotland Yard, offering followers with the chance to attach the dots between the fictional and actual world.
Secondly, Arthur Conan Doyle himself consulted with Scotland Yard detectives whereas crafting the Sherlock Holmes tales, striving for a degree of realism in portraying police procedures and the legal underworld.
There’s a museum right here devoted to the historical past of the Metropolitan Police, the place you possibly can see what investigative methods and instruments have been used throughout the Victorian period, the time interval through which Sherlock Holmes’ adventures happen.
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital
📌 West Smithfield, London, EC1A 7BE
That is the place Sherlock Holmes meets Dr Watson for the primary time in ‘A Research in Scarlet’ and is the place Dr. John Watson, Sherlock’s ever-faithful chronicler, acquired his medical coaching. It’s also the place the BBC collection ‘Sherlock’, Molly Hooper, the pathologist, works and seems once more within the episode “The Reichenbach Fall” (the third episode of the second collection), which includes a pivotal scene on the hospital roof, serving as an alternative choice to the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland.
There’s a plaque on the hospital that commemorates the enduring line:
“You could have been in Afghanistan, I understand” (A Research in Scarlet)
Though this assembly was totally fictional, it was initially positioned within the pathology division; nevertheless, this has since been moved to the St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum alongside a duplicate of A Research in Scarlet.
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The Sherlock Holmes Pub
📌 10-11 Northumberland Road, London, WC2N 5DB
Head to this Victorian pub, which homes a show of memorabilia from the Conan Doyle property, and revel in a standard pint of ale. Whereas sipping a beer, take within the books, hats and different souvenirs referring to Sherlock Holmes, whereas upstairs the Holmes referencing continues with an in depth recreation of his Baker Road lounge.
Simpsons-in-the-Strand
📌 100 Strand, London, WC2R 0EW
Established in 1828, this historic restaurant boasts a wealthy heritage that has predated the primary Sherlock Holmes story for over half a century. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself was stated to be an everyday, maybe crafting the very essence of Sherlock Holmes amidst the elegant oak-panelled partitions, whereas Holmes and Watson have been regulars within the TV collection Sherlock.
Simpson’s is famend for its conventional British fare – assume melt-in-your-mouth roast joints theatrically carved tableside, a practice relationship again to the 1850s. So, sink into an opulent chair, savour a major rib or a succulent Yorkshire pudding, and let your creativeness run wild.
The Langham
📌 1C Portland Place, London, W1B 1JA
With a espresso costing £7 and a beer £10, this isn’t the most cost effective cease on our Sherlock Holmes expertise, however it’s the place Arthur Conan Doyle frolicked. It’s also the place, again in 1889, Doyle had dinner with Oscar Wilde and a writer. This sparked the creation of The Signal of 4, certainly one of Sherlock Holmes’s most thrilling adventures.
Leinster Gardens
📌 23-24 Leinster Gardens, London, Larger London, England, W2 3BH
Leinster Gardens in London holds a secret cleverly disguised. These seemingly atypical terraced homes conceal a hidden fact – Nos. 23 and 24 are nothing greater than elaborate facades, constructed to masks air flow shafts for the London Underground, and exist solely as a visible trick.
Within the BBC’s Sherlock, they’ve been cleverly weaved into its narrative. Within the episode “His Final Vow,” they play on the title of “The Journey of the Empty Home,” a traditional Sherlock Holmes story.
Play the Sherlock Stay sport at Shepherd’s Bush earlier than having a drink on the Thoughts Palace
📌 W12 Buying Centre W12 8PP
Dive headfirst into “Sherlock: The Stay Sport,” an immersive expertise that transports you proper into the world of the world’s most celebrated consulting detective. Crew up with fellow followers, decipher cryptic clues, and sort out mind-bending puzzles, all throughout the meticulously recreated setting of 221B Baker Road.
After conquering your case, head over to The Thoughts Palace, a speakeasy pub and themed cocktail bar that may solely be accessed by way of the disguised entrance of the Doyle’s Opticians. This Sherlock Holmes-themed haven affords the right place to unwind and dissect your deductions over a pint, a signature Holmes cocktail or in case you go to earlier within the day, a Sherlock Holmes-themed afternoon tea.
The place to remain whereas within the metropolis for a real Sherlock Holmes Expertise
The Holmes Lodge
📌 83 Chiltern St, London W1U 6NF
Guide a keep at The Holmes Lodge, the place your internal Sherlock Holmes awakens from the second you step by way of the doorway. Visitor rooms pay homage to the nice detective with delicate nods – assume magnifying glass bedside lamps and silhouettes of iconic characters adorning the partitions.
The theme continues within the communal areas, the place framed riddles on every flooring entice you to crack the code, identical to Holmes tackling a perplexing case. Descend to The Kitchen at Holmes, the resort’s award-winning restaurant, and a menu brimming with “Elementary, My Pricey” delights await.
Sip on the signature “Sherlock’s Pipe” cocktail, a concoction as mysterious because the detective himself, whereas savouring dishes named after iconic characters and places from the tales. The Holmes Lodge lives and breathes the world of Sherlock Holmes.
Motorhome Tenting Choices
📌 Federation Rd, Abbey Wooden, London SE2 0LS
Essentially the most central campsite in London is the Caravan and Motorhome Membership web site at Abbey Wooden. Located only a 10-minute stroll from each the Thames Hyperlink Overground and the Elizabeth Line, you might be within the coronary heart of London inside 20 minutes.
The reception space of Abbey Wooden Campsite
The campsite itself is a haven away from the fixed pleasure of the town. Set in woodland with loads of greenery, you possibly can simply spend the day stress-free, maybe with an Arthur Conan Doyle novel after a busy day in London.
You will see all the fashionable facilities you come to count on on a campsite that permits caravans, motorhomes, and tents. Do you have to be travelling with buddies who don’t want to camp, additionally they provide a small collection of tenting pods.
In Abbey Wooden itself, there’s a small Morrisons, a bigger Sainbury’s, and a Lidl’s, which has ample parking even for bigger motorhomes. It’s also a campsite exterior of the Congestion Zone, however be aware as a result of it’s throughout the Low Emission Zone, so take care and verify whether or not your camper is exempt.
One factor to notice is that they’ve a strict entry time of 1 p.m., and due to this fact in case you arrive early, you can be turned away. For these of us travelling in bigger autos, this may very well be a nightmare on busier days, so be sure to adhere to the instances acknowledged on any reserving you make.
(N.B. The Caravan and Motorhome Membership did present us with a free pitch at some stage in our journey, however all analysis and suggestions are our personal and have on no account been influenced by others).
Are you an Arthur Conan Doyle Fan? Are there different places in London referring to Sherlock Holmes that we’ve missed? In that case, please tell us within the feedback beneath.
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