Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are detective characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. According to the books, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson lived at 221b Baker Street in London between 1881 and 1904. The building at 221b Baker Street is a museum dedicated to the life and times of Sherlock Holmes, and the interior has been kept to reflect what is written in the published stories. The house is ‘on the list’ so it must be preserved due to its ‘special architectural and historical interest’, while the first floor studio overlooking Baker Street has been faithfully restored to its Victorian origins.
What to expect
From Baker Street Station, turn right, cross the street and turn right and you are just a 5 minute walk from the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Make sure to also see the Sherlock Holmes statue outside the station. We passed this museum for years and wondered what was going on inside, as the exterior looks more like a Victorian house with its black iron railings, black and white mosaics, and panoramic window with mesh curtains. When we walked in, we were surprised by how busy it was, especially with foreign visitors.
The entire ground floor is a fascinating shop for anyone to visit here without buying a ticket to go up to the museum. Costumed museum goers help keep the Victorian-era theme inside. The store sells an incredible array of merchandise, from deer hunting hats, pipes and magnifying glasses to novelty jewelry and teapots, as well as Sherlock Holmes books and movies. There is no tea shop or cafe in the museum, but there are customer restrooms in the basement.
The museum
Buy your ticket at the counter at the rear on the ground floor, then go up to explore three floors of the museum. The rooms are dressed as if the characters still live here, and feature elements from many of the stories that will have fans gasping for joy.
On the first floor, you can enter the famous studio overlooking Baker Street and sit in the Sherlock Holmes armchair by the fireplace and use the props to take photos. Sherlock’s room is also on this floor. The second floor has the bedroom of Dr. Watson and the room of the landlady Mrs. Hudson. Here are supposedly personal articles from the detectives and Dr. Watson is writing his diary.
On the third floor, there are wax models of some of the main characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories, including Professor Moriarty. There are stairs to the attic where the tenants would have stored their luggage and there are suitcases there today. There is also a rather lovely flowery toilet.
Did Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson really live there? Sorry to be the one to tell you, but they are fictional characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The building was registered in local authority documents as a boarding house from 1860 to 1934, so the time would fit well, but there is no way of knowing who actually lived here during all that time.
The bottom line
After seeing this museum, you would be forgiven for believing that Holmes and Watson actually lived here, as the curators have done a good job dressing the rooms and collecting exhibits that could have appeared in the many stories. After visiting the Sherlock Holmes Museum, you can hop on a Bakerloo Line tube from Baker Street to Charing Cross and visit the Sherlock Holmes Pub, which has a small museum room on the top floor and serves nice meals.
- Address: 221b Baker Street, London NW1 6XE
- Nearest Tube Station: Baker Street
- Official Website: www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk
- Tickets: Adult: £ 15, Child (under 16): £ 10
