221B Bakers Street

Continuing the theme of small London museum posts, I am glad to take a much less depressing turn down Bakers Street. My group sought out mysteries of a different kind at the Sherlock Holmes Museum, a much livelier experience considering the fictional nature of these curious cases.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum is unsurprisingly a much more popular attraction than our previously visited Jack the Ripper Museum, and we found ourselves queuing (haha queuing) outside of the building for a bit while we waited to be let in. The wait wasn't very long, however, and soon we were ushered into Sherlock Holmes's parlour as if we were an honored guest - or one under the astute observation of the detective himself. The room was furnished and decorated with Victorian antiques (which I was obsessed with), providing plenty to occupy your gaze while listening to the maid-dressed guide point out highlights in the room. These highlights included, of course, the deliberate positioning of Holmes's chairs, bullet holes in the wallpaper, and various other easter eggs for Sherlock Holmes fans to recognize.

I have to admit, I am not particularly well-versed in Sherlock Holmes stories. I have read a few of them over the years, but mostly when I was much younger - and my terrible memory has pushed them to the dark recesses of my mind. However, I enjoyed seeing these details as much as the next person. I also just really love vintage items, and the rooms in this museum were overflowing with them. 

The guide only gave a short speech at the beginning of the tour, and from then on we were left to explore the rooms on our own. The first floor, as I mentioned, was set up to look like Sherlock Holmes's home, and the other floors featured scenes and references to the more popular of his stories. Unfortunately, I didn't understand enough of these references to be able to relay them here, but fear not! There was a wonderful gift shop in the museum and I felt more than obligated to buy a pretty little Sherlock Holmes book. I shall soon be well versed in Arthur Conan Doyle's works of genius.

Ironically enough, when I returned home from the trip and was telling my father about everything we had done, I had mentioned the Sherlock Holmes Museum in passing and to my surprise, my father is a apparently a fan. He thought it was really cool that we got to see the museum and said that he had read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, which is news to me. I found out about this tidbit of information (which I like to call "unlocking dad lore") with regret, because all my agonizing over finding him a birthday present could have been solved in the museum gift shop. A bit of an unrelated anecdote but funny nonetheless. 

I don't have too much more to say about this museum, other than that it was enjoyable for even casual fans of the detective. It was more of a museum to walk through, point at things and say "oh cool," and then buy some cute books, rather than write extensive think pieces on the morality of the exhibitions (I would NEVER do that.....)

I look like an egg here but c'est la vie, I guess