Sherlock Holmes Museum

The Sherlock Holmes Museum stands in a Georgian town house at 221B Baker Street in the City of Westminster. The building was constructed in 1815 and once served as a boarding house from 1860 until 1936. It occupies number 221B by permission of the City of Westminster, though it sits between numbers 237 and 241. The house is part of a terrace listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. The museum recreates scenes from the 1984 Granada Television series Sherlock Holmes. The museum holds exhibits featuring items from several adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. A long-standing dispute over mail addressed to 221B Baker Street was resolved in 2002 when Abbey National vacated its headquarters. For decades, the Royal Mail had delivered fan mail for Sherlock Holmes to the bank, which employed a secretary to handle it. The museum argued that it was the more appropriate recipient, though legal appeals failed until the bank left the building. Today, mail for Sherlock Holmes arrives at the museum instead. Inside, visitors find rooms arranged to reflect Holmes and Watson’s residence during the years 1881 to 1904. A commemorative blue plaque on the exterior suggests the years of Holmes’s supposed stay. The museum displays props and memorabilia from film and television adaptations. Nearby Regent’s Park provides a pleasant walk after exploring the exhibits. The terrace’s historic setting adds to the atmosphere of a fictional detective’s London.