In 2024, the Caravan and Motorhome Membership are operating 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 options on which areas to discover that, at one time, provided inspiration to those that went on to place pen to paper.
Sherlock Holmes is likely 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 any denying that as a personality created again in 1887, he’s nonetheless as well-known, if no more so, right now.
Subsequently, when 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
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 proper information for you.
Sherlock Holmes Strolling Tour
📌 Varied areas relying on the tour booked
There isn’t any higher strategy 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 reality with fictional aptitude the place your information will transport you again in time and level out the very areas that sparked legendary instances. You’ll go to locations talked about within the books, TV adaptions and movies and uncover how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, impressed by the true London he knew, meticulously crafted the harmful, thrilling world Sherlock Holmes inhabits.
You’ll cross 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 lots of completely different excursions, together with a themed strolling tour that begins outdoors 224 Piccadilly. Alternatively, you could possibly take a self-guided journey across the metropolis utilizing your smartphone, fixing puzzles as you go.
221B Baker Avenue and Sherlock Holmes Museum
📌 221B Baker Avenue, London, NW1 6XE
Each fan is aware of the deal with, and whereas there isn’t any precise residence at 221B, there may be an immersive museum devoted to Holmes and Watson. As you step via the doorway, you may be greeted by the meticulously recreated dwelling quarters of Holmes and Watson. Victorian furnishings, curiosities, and private results assist to deliver the tales to life, permitting you to virtually hear a violin and scent the pipe tobacco. You may even check your personal deduction expertise with interactive reveals that problem you to analyse proof and crack the case.
Uncover fascinating particulars in regards to the inspiration behind the long-lasting character, and for the final word memento hunter, the museum boasts the world’s most intensive assortment of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia, making certain you allow with a treasured piece of the legend.
Sherlock Holmes Statue
📌 Entrance to Baker Avenue Tube Station
The Sherlock Holmes statue, unveiled in 1999, depicts the detective in his deerstalker hat and Inverness cape, standing vigil in London outdoors Baker Avenue tube station, a brief stroll from the fictional detective’s well-known deal with of 221B Baker Avenue.
Speedy Café
📌 187 North Gower St, Euston Rd, London, NW1 2NJ
This could possibly be the proper 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, nonetheless, 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 may simply make you’re feeling such as you’ve stumbled right into a forgotten nook of Victorian London, the proper backdrop for a Sherlockian journey.
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 instances.
New Scotland Yard
📌 New Scotland Yard, 8-10 Broadway, SW1H 0BG
Whereas this location will not be instantly 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 just a few causes. Firstly, the fictional Scotland Yard depicted within the tales is loosely based mostly on the true 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 stage of realism in portraying police procedures and the felony underworld.
There’s a museum right here devoted to the historical past of the Metropolitan Police, the place you may see what investigative strategies and instruments had been used throughout the Victorian period, the time interval by 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, obtained his medical coaching. It is usually 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 contains a pivotal scene on the hospital roof, serving as an alternative to the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland.
There’s a plaque on the hospital that commemorates the long-lasting line:
“You may have been in Afghanistan, I understand” (A Research in Scarlet)
Though this assembly was totally fictional, it was initially positioned within the pathology division; nonetheless, this has since been moved to the St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum alongside a duplicate of A Research in Scarlet.
The Sherlock Holmes Pub
📌 10-11 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5DB
Head to this Victorian pub, which homes a show of memorabilia from the Conan Doyle property, and luxuriate in a conventional 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 Avenue 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 mentioned to be a daily, maybe crafting the very essence of Sherlock Holmes amidst the elegant oak-panelled partitions, whereas Holmes and Watson had 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 affordable cease on our Sherlock Holmes expertise, however it’s the place Arthur Conan Doyle hung out. It is usually the place, again in 1889, Doyle had dinner with Oscar Wilde and a writer. This sparked the creation of The Signal of 4, one in all 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 abnormal terraced homes cover a hidden reality – 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 Reside recreation at Shepherd’s Bush earlier than having a drink on the Thoughts Palace
📌 W12 Buying Centre W12 8PP
Dive headfirst into “Sherlock: The Reside Recreation,” an immersive expertise that transports you proper into the world of the world’s most celebrated consulting detective. Staff up with fellow followers, decipher cryptic clues, and deal with mind-bending puzzles, all throughout the meticulously recreated setting of 221B Baker Avenue.
After conquering your case, head over to The Thoughts Palace, a speakeasy pub and themed cocktail bar that may solely be accessed via the disguised entrance of the Doyle’s Opticians. This Sherlock Holmes-themed haven provides the proper 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
E book a keep at The Holmes Lodge, the place your internal Sherlock Holmes awakens from the second you step via the doorway. Visitor rooms pay homage to the good detective with refined 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 ground entice you to crack the code, identical to Holmes tackling a perplexing case. Descend to The Kitchen at Holmes, the lodge’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 areas from the tales. The Holmes Lodge lives and breathes the world of Sherlock Holmes.
Motorhome Tenting Choices
📌 Federation Rd, Abbey Wooden, London SE2 0LS
Probably 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 will be within the coronary heart of London inside 20 minutes.
The campsite itself is a haven away from the fixed pleasure of town. Set in woodland with loads of greenery, you may simply spend the day enjoyable, maybe with an Arthur Conan Doyle novel after a busy day in London.
You’ll find all the trendy facilities you come to count on on a campsite that enables caravans, motorhomes, and tents. Must you be travelling with associates who don’t want to camp, in addition they supply 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 is usually a campsite outdoors of the Congestion Zone, however be conscious 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 subsequently in case you arrive early, you may be turned away. For these of us travelling in bigger automobiles, this could possibly be a nightmare on busier days, so be sure you 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 point of our journey, however all analysis and suggestions are our personal and have by no means been influenced by others).
Are you an Arthur Conan Doyle Fan? Are there different areas in London referring to Sherlock Holmes that we’ve missed? If that’s the case, please tell us within the feedback under.
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