So many Sherlock Holmes fans make a beeline for Baker Street in London when a less heralded museum collection in Portsmouth, England, gives much more insight into the creation of one of the most famous fictional characters in the history of literature.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was working as a doctor in Portsmouth, when he began writing about Sherlock Holmes. While living in Portsmouth he wrote and published the first two Sherlock Holmes stories. "A Study in Scarlet", the first, was published in 1887, followed by the second of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, "The Sign of Four", in 1890. So Portsmouth, the city that was birthplace the Royal Navy was also Sherlock Holmes birthplace.
A Fabulous Conan Doyle Collection
Because of this connection, the Portsmouth City Museum and Records Office was the beneficiary of the Richard Lancelyn Green Bequest of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection. The collection, which is still being catalogued and recorded, includes some 2,000 objects, 13,000 books and 40,000 documents.Only a small portion of the amazing and single minded collection is included in the museum's exhibition, but it gives visitors an insight into:
Other Exhibitions at the Portsmouth City Museum
While the Sherlock Holmes fanatic will be happy for hours at this exhibition, others in your party can wander off to see the many temporary and permanent exhibitions in this small, gem of a museum. Upstairs, the everyday life of Portsmouth from about the 17th century onward is explored and interpreted with real objects, photographs and memorabilia. Higher up still, the city has a small fine art exhibition space.
Museum Essentials
- Address: City Museum & Records Office, Museum Road, Portsmouth PO1 2LJ
- Telephone: +44 (0)23 9282 7261
- website
- Admission: Free
- Hours: Daily, 10a.m. to 5p.m.
