Monument to Sherlock Holmes in London (London, UK) - description, history, location, reviews, photos and videos.

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Monuments to literary characters are not that uncommon. In the Moscow courtyard near the Patriarch's Ponds, for example, Behemoth and Koroviev are lying in wait for guests, for some reason Ostap Bender has taken a fancy to Elista, and Doctor Aibolit has settled in Anapa. It’s easy to guess which book hero’s statue was erected in September 1999 in the center of London - of course, it’s the great detective Sherlock Holmes.

Subway passengers ascending from Baker Street station towards Marylebone Road are greeted by a three-meter gray figure wearing a long cloak with a cape and the classic English “deer hunter’s hat” worn by Vasily Livanov in the brilliant film adaptation of Conan Doyle’s stories. The criminologist holds a pipe in his right hand, his eyes are closed, his thin face is thoughtful. Holmes is clearly solving one of his famous puzzles in his head. Sculptor John Doubleday managed to embody in bronze the vivid image of a crime fighter known throughout the world.

The statue is within walking distance of the Sherlock Holmes Museum. All you have to do is turn right, walk a short distance to the intersection with Baker Street, turn right again and take a leisurely three-minute walk to house number 221 b.

Practical information

Address: London, Marylebone Rd, 4.

How to get there: take the metro to Baker Street station.

Number of hotels 2770 Average number of stars 2.3 Average cost 18330 rubles Rating 7.19 Number of reviews 4

Sherlock Holmes is a legendary literary character who gained worldwide fame thanks to the light hand of the English writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Most of his works tell the fascinating adventures of Sherlock Holmes, who was a very famous private detective in the capital of England. It is worth noting that these works are rightfully considered classics of the detective genre, and fans of the character can be found all over the world. It is also important that Sherlock Holmes is included in the Guinness Book of Records, because he is the most famous and popular movie character in the world. Another interesting fact is that the heroes of the works are so realistic that they even wrote letters to them, considering them to be real, real personalities. It was simply impossible not to note such a world-famous hero in London, and in March 1999, a monument to the detective was erected on Baker Street. It is simply impossible not to recognize him, because the detective has a cloak draped over his shoulders, and on his head you can see the legendary hat with a small brim. It is worth noting that earlier, in the same place, at 221-b Baker Street, a permanent museum-apartment of Sherlock Holmes was opened. It is located in a house built in 1815, which is associated with the action of the work. Now the British government has declared this building a historical and architectural monument.

Hotels near the Sherlock Holmes Monument are an opportunity to visit numerous London attractions, as well as have a great time relaxing in the delightful green area of ​​Regent's Park. This is a truly picturesque place, which is the personification of a city park. Occupying an area of ​​166 hectares, here you can visit the zoo, rent a boat and go on a trip around the lake, visit Queen Mary's Garden and inhale the fragrant countless varieties of roses. There are also playgrounds for children, as well as a modern sports center. It’s also interesting that you can see hedgehogs and squirrels in the park.

Hotel guests near the Sherlock Holmes Monument can also visit Madame Tussauds. This world-famous museum has several branches in different cities: from New York to Bangkok. Within the walls of the museum you can see a fantastic collection of wax figures, among which are the charming JLo, the lead singer of Tokio Hotel, famous musicians, actors and political figures. It is here that the oldest collection, “Cabinet of Horrors,” is located, which is dedicated to the victims of the French Revolution.

Sherlock Holmes is a literary character created by the talent of the English writer Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). His works, dedicated to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the famous London private detective, are rightfully considered classics of the detective genre.

Societies of fans of Holmes' deductive method have spread throughout the world. In the last century, people even wrote letters to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, considering them to be real personalities.

As one joke goes: the last power station in the UK was closed, now all the energy in the country is generated by the writer Arthur Conan Doyle, who is constantly spinning in his grave due to the constant appeal of our contemporaries to his most famous creation - a series of stories about the adventures of the private detective Sherlock Holmes. Over the 40 years of work on the cycle, the writer created 56 short stories and 4 stories about his adventures. There is a grain of truth in every joke, and there is hardly a single literary hero who would be as famous as the London detective. No wonder he entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most filmed literary character. What kind of Mr. Holmes was not in numerous films, TV series, plays, radio shows! But, of course, the most interesting thing is to find out how his compatriots and fellow countrymen see Sherlock Holmes.

On September 24, 1999, the first and so far only monument to Sherlock Holmes in the British capital was opened in London. To guess where the monument stands does not require mastery of the deductive method. Of course, on Baker Street, right next to the metro station of the same name.

The English sculptor John Doubleday depicted the hero Conan Doyle as a middle-aged man, thoughtfully peering into the distance, with a pipe in his hand, wearing a winged cloak and a hunting cap with two visors. It is unlikely that a real London detective of the 19th century could wear such a costume: both the cloak and the headdress were more likely to be found in the countryside; in the city it would attract too much attention. But this is exactly how Sherlock was dressed by the artist Sydney Paget, who worked for the Strand Magazine, where Conan Doyle’s stories have been published since 1891. Paget's illustrations have become classics and are recognized as the best. And so the familiar image was established.

Sherlock Holmes's famous apartment at 221b Baker Street is also a fictional place. In Conan Doyle's time there were only 100 houses on the street. Researchers of the writer's work suggest that the prototype of the detective's home could be houses 19 - 35, especially since just opposite is house number 32, from where Colonel Moran tried to shoot Sherlock. Opened in 1990, the museum - the detective's apartment is located in house No. 239, and the number 221b emblazoned on its door is nothing more than the name of the company that owns the museum.

Besides London, several other places in the world can boast of having a monument to the famous detective. These are the Swiss Meiringen (a town in the vicinity of the Reichenbach Falls), the Japanese city of Karuizawa (the first translator of the stories about Sherlock Holmes Nobuharo Ken lived there), the Scottish Edinburgh - the birthplace of Conan Doyle - and Moscow. In the Russian capital, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (this is the first monument where the detective is not depicted alone) are located near the English embassy, ​​and the sculpture was created by Andrei Petrov.

The actors Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin, who played the characters of Conan Doyle in the film Igor Maslennikov, beloved by many since childhood, can easily discern the features of the Russian Holmes and Watson.

In March 1990, a permanent museum-apartment of Sherlock Holmes opened in London at 221b Baker Street - at the address associated with the name of the great detective and detective. The house, built in 1815, was declared an architectural and historical monument by the British government.

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There are many memorial signs around the world associated with the name of Holmes. Plaques adorn the Criterion bar in Piccadilly, where Watson first learned of Holmes; the chemistry laboratory at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where their first meeting took place; the vicinity of the Reichenbach Falls (Switzerland) and Maiwand (Afghanistan), where Watson received his mysterious wound.

There are no less monuments to Holmes. His first statue appeared on September 10, 1988 in Meiringen (Switzerland), its author is sculptor John Doubleday.

Holmes' apartment museum was opened in the building of the old English church of Meiringen - a complete copy of the one at 221 B Baker Street in London. And at the same time, the adjacent street was named Baker Street. In 1987, a statue of the detective was unveiled.

The entire “corner” near the church and statue is covered with enlarged old clippings from the Strand magazine, which published stories about Sherlock with magnificent illustrations by Sidney Page (1860-1908), who is recognized as the best illustrator of the Holmes and Watson series. Bronze Holmes rests on a piece of rock, having prudently made room for a tourist with a camera. In fact, he indulges in reflection before the last battle with Moriarty (all the details of which are engraved on special memorial plaques).

The next statue of the famous detective was unveiled on October 9, 1988 in Karuizawa (Japan), sculptor - Yoshinori Sato.

The honor of erecting the world's first full-length monument to Holmes fell to... Japan. The sculpture can be seen in the city of Karuizawa, where the most famous Japanese translator of “Holmes” Nobuhara Ken lived, who worked on the cycle about the adventures of the detective for 30 years, from 1923 (“The Hound of the Baskervilles”) to 1953 (complete collection).

Certain difficulties arose with the installation of the monument - there were fears that the European style of the Holmes statue would not fit into the classical Japanese look of the city, but in the end, persistent enthusiasts of the project prevailed. The monument was made by the famous Japanese sculptor Sato Yoshinori and opened on October 9, 1988 - just a month after Switzerland. What the Japanese Holmes is thinking about is not precisely established. Probably about translation difficulties.

In 1991, the turn came to Edinburgh. Here, in the homeland of Conan Doyle, the third monument to Sherlock Holmes was unveiled on June 24, 1991, which caused considerable excitement among Stevenson's admirers - what about the monument to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, huh? Stevenson remained on the sidelines this time, but the Edinburgh Federation of Builders was luckier - the opening of the monument was timed to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of its creation.

Edinburgh Holmes is set on Picardy Place, the birthplace of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The bronze sculpture was sculpted by Gerald Lang.

In London, a monument to the world's most famous detective and detective Sherlock Holmes was unveiled on September 24, 1999 at the Baker Street metro station.

Holmes appeared thoughtfully looking into the distance, dressed for the rainy London weather - in a long raincoat, a hat with a small brim and with a pipe in his right hand.

The author of the three-meter bronze monument was the famous English sculptor John Doubleday.

And on April 27, 2007, a monument to the great detective by Andrei Orlov was opened on Smolenskaya Embankment in Moscow, near the British Embassy. This was the first monument where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are depicted together. This is understandable. Our popularly beloved television series is not about deduction with common sense, but about friendship, about the local way of talking in the kitchen, about ideal relationships between people. In the sculptures one can discern the faces of actors Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin, who at one time played the roles of these Conan Doyle heroes.

The opening of the monument was timed to coincide with the 120th anniversary of the publication of the first book about the adventures of a private detective - the story “A Study in Scarlet.” “The composition of the monument was determined from the very beginning - it had to be a small-sized urban sculpture, with a bench so that a person could sit on this bench and come into contact with the images of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson,” said the author of the monument, Andrei Orlov.

Russian actor Vasily Livanov, who was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain for the best embodiment of the image of the legendary Sherlock Holmes, took part in the creation of the monument.

There is a saying that if you sit between Holmes and Watson and touch the doctor's notebook, many problems will be solved.

But in Riga there is no monument to the heroes of Conan Doyle yet. But it is Riga that is the only city in the world where Sherlock Holmes' birthday is celebrated. For the second year now, Riga residents are organizing a celebration in honor of the famous detective’s birthday.

And although the great detective, a character in Conan Doyle’s works, has nothing to do with the Baltic states, in the Latvian capital he is considered almost a fellow countryman. And all because it was here, from 1979 to 1986, that the television series “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson”, directed by Igor Maslennikov, was filmed, in which the main role was played by actor Vasily Livanov.

Old Riga has been successfully transformed into London's Baker Street. Holmes, performed by Livanov, was recognized as one of the best screen images of the great detective, for which Vasily Livanov was awarded the Order of the British Empire.

In London, a monument to the world's most famous detective and detective Sherlock Holmes was unveiled on September 24, 1999 at the exit from the Baker Street metro station. Holmes appeared thoughtfully looking into the distance, dressed for the rainy London weather - in a long raincoat, a hat with a small brim and with a pipe in his right hand. The author of the nine-foot bronze monument was the famous English sculptor John Doubleday (author of monuments to Charlie Chaplin, members of the Beatles and other celebrities). London Sherlockians have been rushing around with the project of the monument since 1951 - the moment of the creation of the London Sherlock Holmes Society. The main problem was that the project involved installing a sculpture in the center of Baker Street, which entailed blocking traffic. As a result, a compromise was found, and they decided to place Holmes on Baker Street, but opposite the subway station. The money was provided by Abbey National Bank, which owns the legendary address and which has had an employee acting as “Sherlock Holmes’ secretary” since 1932. At the unveiling of the monument on September 24, 1999, Abbey National chairman Lord Tugendhat said the bank was proud to be associated with the greatest fictional detective of all time, but this statement was met with boos from fans. Only later was it explained to Tugendhat that many of Holmes' fans prefer to consider the detective a real person. This detective, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the most popular movie character in the world. In the last century, people even wrote letters to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, considering them to be real personalities. In March 1990, a permanent museum-apartment of Sherlock Holmes opened at 221b Baker Street in London. The house, built in 1815, was declared an architectural and historical monument by the British government. The most famous monuments to Sherlock Holmes:

Sherlock Holmes is one of those British literary heroes whose fame, if not eclipsed, then certainly is not inferior to the popularity of the Queen of England. And the Guinness Book of Records contains over 200 films in which the name of the popular detective appears.

Film fans first saw Holmes in 1900 in the half-minute humorous film sketch “Sherlock Holmes Baffled.” It was she who launched the victorious march of the detective from Baker Street across the screens of the world. At the same time, Sherlock Holmes appeared in the form of a respectable gentleman, a teenager and even a woman! We decided to focus on the most interesting and striking actors who played the master of the deductive method. Of course, for Russians the most famous and best film adaptation is the Soviet television series directed by Igor Maslennikov - "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson"(1979-1986), in which the main roles are played by Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin. The series consists of five parts, divided into episodes (11 episodes in total), and adapts quite a few stories: “A Study in Scarlet”, “The Speckled Band”, “The End of Charles Augustus Milverton”, “The Incident of the Translator”, “Holmes’ Last Case” ", "The Empty House", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", "The Sign of Four", "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Engineer's Finger", "The Second Stain", "The Bruce-Partington Blueprints" and "His Farewell Bow". The series received positive reviews in England. Critics noted that the atmosphere of Conan Doyle's works was conveyed with great accuracy. On June 15, 2006, in Moscow, the British Ambassador awarded Vasily Livanov the Order of the British Empire for the best screen portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes in cinema: the most memorable images

Vasily Livanov Of course, here one could quote Roman Kartsev’s monologue “How long have I been in football?..” (“Kostya, my family recognized you as the best player in the world!”), but irony is just not appropriate. A unique creaky voice, an infectious laugh, an intelligent and at the same time sly look and a “trademark” sharp-nosed profile - this is exactly how millions of viewers in Russia and far beyond their borders imagine Sherlock Holmes. This is confirmed by the results of numerous surveys recognizing the Livanov-Solomin duo as one of the best incarnations of Holmes-Watson. And the fact that Vasily Livanov received the Order of the British Empire in 2006 for the best screen portrayal of Sherlock Holmes speaks for itself. Among other “awards”: a monument on the Smolenskaya embankment in Moscow near the walls of the British Embassy and profiles on a commemorative New Zealand coin and a portrait in the Holmes Museum in London. Benedict Cumberbatch Doyle's stories are set in modern London. Holmes is an independent consultant whose assistance Scotland Yard sometimes resorts to in investigations. Watson is a retired military doctor suffering from PTSD, Holmes's partner, whose duties include blogging. Holmes is handsome and knows a lot about stylish clothing, while being deliberately cold with women. Most people perceive communication as a forced necessity, preferring SMS exchanges to “live conversations.” In other words, a typical sociopath, a brilliant polymath and a walking encyclopedia. A sociopath, not without, however, attractiveness and a certain charm. Under the influence of this explosive cocktail, millions of viewers were eagerly awaiting the premiere of the third season of Sherlock (promised in 2013). Basil Rathbone Basil Rathbone was not the first to play the great detective, but it is his name that is associated with the creation of the classic image. British by birth, Rathbone achieved success in Hollywood and repeatedly repeated in interviews that he considers Sherlock Holmes to be his best film role. Jeremy Brett Jeremy Brett played Sherlock Holmes on British television for ten years (from 1984 to 1994), appearing as the great detective 41 times. The series was a huge success, but Brett himself was skeptical about this fame. On the one hand, the role of a cold and calculating intellectual was given to the romantic Jeremy Brett with great difficulty. On the other hand, he (whose portfolio included a sufficient number of roles in films and on the theater stage) was not attracted by the prospect of becoming an actor of one role for the audience. Which is exactly what happened. Robert Downey Jr Holmes, played by handsome Robert Downey, is very far from the image we are used to. He’s not a fool to drink with all the ensuing consequences, he’s not averse to wooing a lovely lady, and he uses his fists (and very successfully) almost more often than his head. In general, he is quite a modern private detective from American action films, but not a gentleman of the Victorian era. This metamorphosis should not be surprising: Guy Ritchie’s films were based not on Conan Doyle’s original stories themselves, but on comics based on them. Well, the key to Downey’s 100% fit into the character, apparently, was the actor’s turbulent youth, marked by scandals, drugs, and very real prison sentences. Although, to be fair, we note that initially Guy Ritchie planned to invite someone younger in his place. Christopher Lee During his career, Christopher Lee has played almost all the iconic movie villains: from Count Dracula to the sorcerer Saruman from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. So Holmes is practically a betrayal of his role. Lee first donned the costume of the Baker Street detective in 1962, only to return to the role thirty years later, celebrating his own seventieth(!) anniversary. Well, the final touch to the portrait of perhaps the most exotic Sherlock Holmes will be the actor’s height – almost two meters. Jonny Lee Miller The premiere of the series Elementary took place at the end of September last year. A kind of “American answer” to the English “Sherlock” (although the creators actively deny this). How successfully Jonny Lee Miller (by the way, Angelina Jolie's first husband) will cope with his task and whether he will be able to take his rightful place in the Holmes movie gallery, we have to evaluate. But the fact that Watson is played by Chinese-born actress Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels, Kill Bill) is at least intriguing. By the way, an interesting moment: Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch are involved in an experimental production of the play “Frankenstein”. The essence of the experiment is that in one version Miller plays the monster, and Cumberbatch plays its creator. Accordingly, in another version the actors switch roles. Hugh Laurie It is very difficult not to notice the obvious similarities between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Gregory House. There is more than enough evidence. For starters, the initials are the same: House – Holmes. As do their companion friends: James Wilson – John Watson. Further: a passion for solving mysteries, complex relationships with “ordinary people,” amazing mental abilities, a passion for music and a weakness for drugs. Dr. House lives at 221 Baker Street, Apartment B. And in the end, the creator of the series, David Shore, has repeatedly stated that he drew inspiration from the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle.

• The Guinness Book of Records lists more than 245 film adaptations featuring the character of Sherlock Holmes. Only Dracula has more films.

• The prototype of the famous detective, according to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, was the Edinburgh surgeon Joseph Bell. This amazing man, in a completely Holmesian way, could determine the age, character, and occupation of his patients with the help of simple observations, combining all the collected details into one complete picture.

• The first film featuring a detective was made in 1900. It was a silent black and white short called Sherlock Holmes Baffled. In fact, this movie has nothing in common with the work of Conan Doyle. Only the name. According to the plot, a robber gets into the detective's house, steals things and disappears, leaving the perplexed Holmes alone.

• The first Soviet Holmes was Nikolai Volkov in the 1971 film The Hound of the Baskervilles. Few people knew about this film for political reasons. In 1979, the actor who played Watson, Lev Krugly, emigrated to the West, and since then this film has not been broadcast on Soviet television. Many considered it lost until the only copy was found in 2003 and restored.

• In 1986, Alexey Simonov decided to experiment and filmed “My Dearly Beloved Detective,” where Ekaterina Vasilyeva played... detective Shirley Holmes, and Galina Shchepetnova played the role of Jane Watson.

• In addition to films and radio shows, a large number of cartoons were filmed, including the creation of the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away”) called “The Great Detective Holmes,” where all the characters were dogs.

• In 2002, Sherlock Holmes was made an honorary member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. No other fictional character has been so honored.

• Isley Norwood holds the record for the most roles in films about a detective. He played Sherlock in 47 silent short black-and-white films from 1921–1923.

• In 2006, Vasily Livanov was awarded the Order of the British Empire for “Best classic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in film.”

• Throughout the history of film adaptations and productions of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the main character has been played and voiced by many actors, including Peter O'Toole, Christopher Lee, Basil Rathbone, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer, Rupert Everett and many others.