I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

The Undershaw Preservation Trust

<h4 style="text-align: center;">"an effort to preserve it" [IDEN]</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBsOzdNlrszMlJ16Ad_Z942Ha6kaItzY9_QKdOS-UxnVNRD_9nn1fv7AXRClSHS6rXK8WTnpW3cM0DXyRTio1UbqoYcZCEM0lAhtvT_Wt8aMd1iP7G91HxNNhTQZ_f5wipSmdm11xV-Rk/s1600/Undershaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBsOzdNlrszMlJ16Ad_Z942Ha6kaItzY9_QKdOS-UxnVNRD_9nn1fv7AXRClSHS6rXK8WTnpW3cM0DXyRTio1UbqoYcZCEM0lAhtvT_Wt8aMd1iP7G91HxNNhTQZ_f5wipSmdm11xV-Rk/s640/Undershaw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>[<i>Editor's note: Jacquelynn Morris, ASH is an Undershaw Preservation Trust Representative—Maryland, USA. She is also the sparking plug behind <a href="http://www.watsonstinbox.org/a-scintillation-of-scions.html">A Scintillation of Scions</a>.</i>]<br />
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<blockquote>It was an old, tumbledown building in a crazy state of disrepair… the grass-grown drive in front of the blotched and weather-stained door…the whole place was depressing.</blockquote><br />
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once wrote these words about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adventure-Wisteria-Lodge-Dodo-Press/dp/1406556076?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Wisteria Lodge</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1406556076" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, but they have come to be sadly prophetic about a house nearer and dearer to his heart. Not Wisteria Lodge, but <b><a href="http://www.saveundershaw.com/">Undershaw</a></b>, the home designed by and lived in by Conan Doyle and his family for over ten years, during which time he wrote some of his most memorable work.<br />
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Undershaw came into being after a conversation Conan Doyle had with his friend, novelist Grant Allen, in 1895. Allen suffered from tuberculosis, the illness which left Conan Doyle’s wife, Louise, an invalid for the last 15 years of her life. In this conversation Conan Doyle had with Allen, Allen claimed the healthy air of <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Hindhead+surrey+england&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Hindhead,+Surrey,+UK&gl=us&ei=E3dwTfftGM-ftwfU2bWNDw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ8gEwAA">Hindhead</a>, in Surrey, England, cured him of tuberculosis.<br />
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At a time when wealthy tuberculosis sufferers were encouraged to go to the Swiss Alps for a better chance of survival, Conan Doyle himself had taken to moving the family about for Louise’s health from Switzerland to Egypt. Hindhead certainly offered an alternative closer to London.<br />
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Immediately after this conversation with Grant Allen, Conan Doyle visited Hindhead, about 40 miles south of London, and decided it was his “English Switzerland.” He purchased a plot of land where he planned to have a house built and drafted the first designs of the house himself before passing them on to architect and friend Joseph Henry Ball to complete.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2peXAVNQdwDsmkDUnfD5t3KlOGIIOCExBPN-cvImfFYM_lFCyAgsGiqIbHPbfW5sFzHOekRqhQtJ6kAsgvEk7xac_Ya7jun1p-8APPRoXNej9PYf3poBpRyjDSB-c9YbCSbAJ6dYksavr/s1600/b_undershaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2peXAVNQdwDsmkDUnfD5t3KlOGIIOCExBPN-cvImfFYM_lFCyAgsGiqIbHPbfW5sFzHOekRqhQtJ6kAsgvEk7xac_Ya7jun1p-8APPRoXNej9PYf3poBpRyjDSB-c9YbCSbAJ6dYksavr/s1600/b_undershaw.jpg" /></a></div>In his autobiography, <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sir-Arthur-Conan-Doyle-Adventures/dp/184022570X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Memories and Adventures</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=184022570X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i></b>, Conan Doyle describes the house as “a considerable mansion…planned upon a large scale.” The house was built on a four-acre site, facing south toward woods and the heath. Conan Doyle wanted a comfortable modern house to entertain family and friends as well as to allow Louise a quiet place to rest. When completed, the substantial gabled red-brick house was approached from a winding drive. There was an impressive two-story entrance hall where there was displayed a collection of swords as well as a series of stained glass windows with what Conan Doyle considered his family coat of arms. The house included eleven bedrooms and dressing rooms, a dining room that could seat 30, Conan Doyle’s study, a wood-paneled drawing room, a billiard room, substantial servants’ quarters, and a power plant to provide electricity to the house. Also on the grounds were a four-room lodge, a stable which held six horses, a coach house, a garage, a magnificent railway on the grounds to delight his children, and a tennis court. With Louise’s ill health in mind, doors that hinged both ways were installed per Conan Doyle’s instructions, and the house’s main staircase was built with shallow steps to allow her to ascend and descend with relative ease.<br />
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Sir Arthur named the house “Undershaw,” from the word “shaw,” meaning a small copse or wood. Conan Doyle writes: “…we moved into the new house, which I called Undershaw—a new word, I think, and yet one which described it exactly in good Anglo-Saxon, since it stood under a hanging grove of trees.”<br />
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Once the Conan Doyle family took up residence in Undershaw they began receiving visitors. At first it was mostly family, but one of their first non-family visitors was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Paget">Sidney Paget</a>, illustrator of the majority of Holmes stories and who had been commissioned by Conan Doyle to paint his portrait. J.M. Barrie, who wrote <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Peter-Pan-100th-Anniversary-Barrie/dp/0805072454?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Pan</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0805072454" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></b></i>, was also a guest at Undershaw, as were both Virginia Woolf and Bram Stoker, creator of Dracula, who said about Undershaw:<br />
<blockquote>It is so sheltered from cold winds that the architect felt justified in having lots of windows, so that the whole place is full of light. Nevertheless, it is cosy and snug to a remarkable degree and has everywhere that sense of “home” which is so delightful to occupant and stranger alike… </blockquote><br />
Stoker describes the view at Undershaw:<br />
<blockquote>…an endless sea of greenery, ranges of hills piling up one behind the other, in undulations of varying blue. An expanse which, whether seen from near or far, in unity or detail, simply ravishes the eye with its myriad beauties.</blockquote><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Boer-Arthur-Conan-Doyle/dp/1147178933?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Great Boer War" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1147178933&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1147178933" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />Conan Doyle wrote <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Boer-Arthur-Conan-Doyle/dp/1147178933?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Great Boer War</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1147178933" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i></b> there in 1900, after his time as a volunteer physician in South Africa during the war. <i>The Great Boer War</i> became influential in military reforms, when Conan Doyle suggested use of camouflage and advised against continued use of cavalry swords. He felt that all Englishmen should be marksmen, forming the Undershaw Rifle Club where he held bi-weekly training sessions and provided, at his own expense, firearms and ammunition. The rifle club had over 300 members and became an example followed by other communities across England; this served the country well when Englishmen trained in marksmanship joined the British Army at the start of the First World War.<br />
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Undershaw was where Conan Doyle lived when he received the knighthood in 1902. It was where he learned to drive a motorcar as one of Hindhead’s first motorists, and it was in the driveway of Undershaw where Conan Doyle had his first car crash in 1905.<br />
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Undershaw was where Conan Doyle’s children, Mary and Kingsley, grew up and where his wife, Louise, spent the last years of her life.<br />
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It was from Undershaw that Conan Doyle championed the cause of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Conan-Doyle-Parsons-Son-George/dp/1843862417?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">George Edalji</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1843862417" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, falsely imprisoned for animal mutilation.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hound-Baskervilles-First-American/dp/1131210344?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Hound of the Baskervilles ( First American Edition )" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1131210344&tag=thebakerstree-20" /></a><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hound-Baskervilles-Sherlock-Holmes-Mystery/dp/193659403X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><br />
</a></i></b><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hound-Baskervilles-Sherlock-Holmes-Mystery/dp/193659403X?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1131210344" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />The Hound of the Baskervilles</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=193659403X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i></b> was written at Undershaw. Holmes was resurrected in "The Adventure of the Empty House" at Undershaw in 1903, and Conan Doyle went on to write the 13 stories of <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Return-Sherlock-Holmes-Collection/dp/B00009WVO2?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Return of Sherlock Holmes</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00009WVO2" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></i></b> while in residence.<br />
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It was also at Undershaw where Conan Doyle first considered writing a play about Sherlock Holmes. Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, one of the great figures of the English theatre, was interested in the play but wanted the character of Holmes adapted to his own acting style. Conan Doyle refused. About this he said,<br />
<blockquote>Rather than re-write it on lines which would make a different Holmes from my Holmes, I would without the slightest pang put it back in the drawer.</blockquote>Although Conan Doyle would not change Holmes himself (even though he professed disdain for the character), he later allowed actor William Gillette to change Holmes and allow him to be engaged to be married at the end of the play (famously replying to Gillette’s telegram “MAY I MARRY HOLMES?”, Conan Doyle said, “YOU MAY MARRY HIM OR MURDER HIM OR DO ANYTHING YOU LIKE WITH HIM”). Gillette’s portrayal of Holmes became legendary and even iconic, introducing the calabash pipe to our perception of Holmes as Gillette preferred not to block his face with any other style of pipe.<br />
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After Louise finally succumbed to illness in 1907, Conan Doyle sold Undershaw and his life went in a different direction with his new wife, Jean Leckie. Undershaw was sold again in 1924, and until 2004 the house was used as a small country hotel and restaurant, when it was once again purchased by a developer. It has languished in neglect in the years since then.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggE8Bf8EdQu0jme65PO0BH9PYeUHnl8CGTpiPrjCorC_akLAVdzDOOLfy_U_KBdzzBFH2gOnio0TEHXGtj0oEBB2TBNn1qL11xg_Hvg9_j7JiIVjhLlphHMCg-yHgmsno18X5MAOYE_mve/s1600/Undershaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggE8Bf8EdQu0jme65PO0BH9PYeUHnl8CGTpiPrjCorC_akLAVdzDOOLfy_U_KBdzzBFH2gOnio0TEHXGtj0oEBB2TBNn1qL11xg_Hvg9_j7JiIVjhLlphHMCg-yHgmsno18X5MAOYE_mve/s1600/Undershaw.jpg" /></a></div>Today, Undershaw stands sorrowfully empty, neglected and vandalized. The three-story red-brick structure forlornly awaits its fate, with boarded-up windows and an overgrown yard, sadly bringing to mind Wisteria Lodge. Lead has been stolen from the roof, graffiti has marred the walls, windows have been broken and water has leaked in nearly every room. Promises by the owner/developer for upkeep of Undershaw have been poorly implemented, forcing the Waverley Borough Council to take some measures to at least secure the building from further damage.<br />
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<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1257565/Its-mystery-stump-Sherlock-Holmes-Why-earth-letting-Conan-Doyles-home-fall-ruin.html"><b><i>Robert Hardman</i></b> of the <i>The Daily Mail</i> wrote</a>:<br />
<blockquote>The imposing late Victorian house…is boarded up, dilapidated…How on earth could a nation which has produced the most famous character in modern fiction—inspiring a record 223 films and 400 fan clubs worldwide—simply stand by while his creator’s legacy is erased?</blockquote><br />
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<center><iframe frameborder="0" height="285" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/11360128" width="500"></iframe></center><center><a href="http://vimeo.com/11360128">Save Undershaw</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user762441">WetherbyPond</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a></center>.<br />
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Some of us cannot “simply stand by.” In August 2009 <b><a href="http://www.saveundershaw.com/">Undershaw Preservation Trust</a></b>, or UPT, was formed by <b><i>John Gibson</i></b>, author of 5 books on Conan Doyle, some with his friend, the late Richard Lancelyn Green. John Gibson is now Director of the Undershaw Preservation Trust and has campaigned for the restoration and preservation of Undershaw, testifying at hearings in defense of Conan Doyle’s legacy. After a visit to the property, Gibson reported:<br />
<blockquote>It was in a terrible state. I came here once and the front door was wide open with rain pouring through. I reported it to the Council and came back two weeks later and it was still open to the world.</blockquote><br />
The developer/owner has proposed several different plans for the grounds and Undershaw itself, most rejected by the Waverley Borough Council in Hindhead, but all involving destroying the historic value of Conan Doyle’s home in pursuit of financial gain. The developer's plans have included permanently dividing the building into townhomes, building other structures on the property, and converting Conan Doyle’s horse stables with their cast iron stalls into a garage.<br />
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A very telling comment by Michael Wilson, the developer's architect, about the proposed changes for Undershaw: "The main house is being put back in the original form but vertically divided. To leave it as a single house doesn't work financially."<br />
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In June 2010 Waverley Borough Council, after having rejected numerous redevelopment plans over the years, at last gave in and granted the owners planning permission to carve up the literary, historic house into three flats, with five more homes built on the site.<br />
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About this, John Gibson said:<br />
<blockquote>It will destroy the whole spirit of the place. You’ll have Conan Conan Doyle’s drawing room in one house, his dining room in another, and his study in another.</blockquote><br />
One member of the Waverley Borough Council, Jim Edwards, cast the only vote against the planning officers’ recommendations and took the preservationists' side. Mr. Edwards is quoted as saying "This house has got tremendous historical importance. This is a massive development, and quite unacceptable in my view." Conan Doyle's great-nephew Richard Conan Doyle, said "The family had been trying to come up with ways of buying it, but the price was so high we could not afford it. We just wish there was something we could do."<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/christianpayne/3523758590/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="Stephen Fry visits Bletchley Park by Documentally, on Flickr"><img alt="Stephen Fry visits Bletchley Park" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3311/3523758590_be3fb546d1_m.jpg" /></a>Actor <a href="http://twitter.com/stephenfry"><b>Stephen Fry</b></a> is a supporter of UPT and had this to say to the Council:<br />
<blockquote>As Patron of the Conan Conan Doyle library, as a former youngest member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, as an admirer of Conan Doyle and his achievements I urge Waverley Borough Council to reconsider what future ages will adjudge a foolish short-sighted and wanton act of vandalism. There is real value in Undershaw. If it is thought about, it can attract new generations of tourists to the area, it can be an enormous source of local pride.</blockquote><br />
In spite of last year’s setback, all is not yet lost. Word is spreading about Undershaw through a concerted effort on the part of the Undershaw Preservation Trust via <a href="http://www.saveundershaw.com/"><b>their website</b></a>, <a href="http://undershawhelp.blogspot.com/"><b>a blog</b></a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Undershaw-Preservation-Trust/143840102309365"><b>Facebook page</b></a>, and UPT volunteer representatives. Writers <i><b>Julian Barnes</b></i> and <i><b>Ian Rankin</b></i> are backing the campaign, and author <b><i>Alistair Duncan</i></b> is currently writing a book, <i>An Entirely New Country - Arthur Conan Conan Doyle, Undershaw and the Resurrection of Sherlock Holmes</i>. Even more significantly, actor and writer <b><i>Mark Gatiss</i></b>, writer/creator and portrayer of Mycroft in the new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Season-One-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B004132HZS?ie=UTF8&tag=thebakerstree-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><i>Sherlock</i></b></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B004132HZS" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> TV series, is now patron and sponsor of the Undershaw Preservation Trust and has been a champion of the cause in recent interviews:<br />
<blockquote>I would like to express my whole-hearted enthusiasm for the campaign to save Undershaw. It seems to me a very sad reflection on our times that the home of one of our greatest and most popular writers should be so neglected and in danger of unsympathetic redevelopment…Sir Arthur Conan Conan Doyle occupied several residences in his prolific and thrilling career, only Undershaw bears the stamp of his massive personality…It’s no exaggeration to say that Undershaw was the centre of Conan Doyle’s life during perhaps the most fruitful and fascinating phase of his career. It must be saved and take its place among the sensitively preserved residences of this country’s other literary giants. This is certainly a three-pipe problem but not, I am convinced, an insoluble one.</blockquote><br />
John Gibson has been consulting with attorneys to determine whether the planning permission from Waverley was possibly unlawful; they are in the process of preparing Judicial Review papers for submission to the Royal Courts of Justice to have the decision overturned. It is hoped that sometime this spring there will be good news on this front.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YMrQduRHZU9Rv9zzQ30kHY8aaASvs9hopV1i7DL-0uWdesLiirXdhG6gL6_AV3RGTBOykRMntf7H1DK2KbllBz1HOcPAJR5rNjoYdpXl2KrNOkl0m59CBdAu-_-lRrJRumFJz9rDktBl/s1600/conandoyle-pic03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YMrQduRHZU9Rv9zzQ30kHY8aaASvs9hopV1i7DL-0uWdesLiirXdhG6gL6_AV3RGTBOykRMntf7H1DK2KbllBz1HOcPAJR5rNjoYdpXl2KrNOkl0m59CBdAu-_-lRrJRumFJz9rDktBl/s200/conandoyle-pic03.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>The vision of the Undershaw Preservation Trust is to someday see the Undershaw house, stable, and grounds restored to their former glory, eventually becoming a self-supporting Sherlock Holmes/Conan Doyle Museum. Exhibits could be on view in conjunction with the <a href="http://www.conandoylecollection.co.uk/">Portsmouth Museum’s 50,000-item Conan Doyle collection</a> of John Gibson’s late friend, Richard Lancelyn Green. Ideally, the proposed museum at Undershaw might then become part of a Conan Doyle tour, including visits to London, Portsmouth Museum, and Conan Doyle’s grave in the New Forest’s Minstead Churchyard. This would certainly require a significant amount of money which would need to be raised, but major fundraising is still in the future. The first priority has to be stopping the proposed development. If that is allowed to occur there will be no saving Undershaw for future generations of Sherlockians.<br />
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The Undershaw Preservation Trust now has more than 25 representatives in at least 10 different countries. The representative's task is to spread the word about Undershaw and rally the Sherlockian troops for support in upcoming projects and fundraising. Preliminary fundraising plans at this point include a UPT pin which will be for sale in coming months, as well as some items which will be sold on eBay. An Undershaw awareness-raising project for the UK is being considered for the opening of a long-awaited tunnel in Hindhead this May; tentative plans include Undershaw supporters attending in Victorian attire to hand out flyers about saving Conan Doyle’s house.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">How can you help? </span></b><br />
<ol><li>If you’re on Facebook, find the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Undershaw-Preservation-Trust/143840102309365"><b>Undershaw Preservation Trust’s Facebook page</b></a> and join as a fan. </li>
<li>Visit the website, <a href="http://www.saveundershaw.com/"><b>www.saveundershaw.com</b></a>, for updates and to leave comments. </li>
<li>Follow <a href="http://twitter.com/spiritangel04">@spiritangel04</a> on Twitter; retweet UPT tweets so that your followers will see them. </li>
<li>Tweet a #FollowFriday recommendation for UPT. </li>
<li>On your blog or website mention UPT and link to <a href="http://www.saveundershaw.com/"><b>Save Undershaw's website</b></a>. </li>
<li>Mention Undershaw to any Sherlockians of your acquaintance and refer them to the website.</li>
<li>Spread this blog post by email, Twitter, Facebook or any other sharing method; we've provided the tools directly at the top and bottom of this entry to help you with that.</li>
</ol><br />
We cannot do this alone, but we just may be able to do it together. As Holmes says in "The Copper Beeches,"<br />
<blockquote>The pressure of public opinion can do in the town what the law cannot accomplish.</blockquote><br />
If we believe that Holmes and Conan Doyle belong to all of us--even generations long beyond our own time--then we are charged with making it known through the Undershaw Preservation Trust that Undershaw must be preserved and restored. We must bring that “pressure of public opinion” to this campaign. The loss of Undershaw is more than a loss for Hindhead; it is a loss for us all.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0015VT2N4&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>  <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004OB0JZM&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>  <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=184022570X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?t=thebakerstree-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0034MKK8I&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> --

The Undershaw Preservation Trust

"an effort to preserve it" [IDEN] [ Editor's note: Jacquelynn Morris, ASH is an Undershaw Preservation Trust Representative—Ma...

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by Scott Monty

Adding Contributors to IHOSE

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"the intelligence of your correspondent" [VALL] </h4>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wsmonty/4182495602/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="five-03 by Scott Monty, on Flickr"><img alt="five-03" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2569/4182495602_e66a161d74_m.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
A little over five months ago, without much (or any) fanfare, this humble online publication celebrated its fifth anniversary. In real life, that is but a blink of an eye; but on the Web, it may as well have been a lifetime ago. To give you a sense of what was happening in the world just five years ago:<br />
<ul>
<li>Pope John Paul II died</li>
<li>Tony Blair was elected for a third term</li>
<li>London was hit by terrorist bombings </li>
<li>Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast</li>
<li>More than 350 million digital songs were downloaded (current download rates are 10 million <i>a day</i>)</li>
<li>Facebook still had another year before it would be open to the general public</li>
</ul>
Our first post was on <a href="http://www.bakerstreetblog.com/2005/08/baker-street-blog-welcome-to-baker.html"><b>August 10, 2005</b></a> and compared with the other 492 posts since then, it wasn't all that earth-shattering. But over time, our efforts have both expanded and contracted, and the resultant site is what you see today. It has largely been a single-handed effort, but that is about to change - with your help.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<b>A New Model</b></h4>
Because the world of Sherlock Holmes is so full of news, information, events and new material every day, we determined that a single-proprietor model simply will not do. Our mission:<br />
<blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>To be the definitive site for news and information</b></i></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>about Sherlock Holmes in popular culture.</b></i></span></div>
</blockquote>
For that reason, we're <b><u><a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/aboutcontribute.html#.WVq-KmgrLb0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">turning this site into a multi-author publication</a></u></b>, wherein contributors can each cover topics of interest to them, on a cadence appropriate to each. You may have already seen examples from <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/Sherlock%20Holmes%20for%20Dummies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steven Doyle</a> and <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/terrace" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Francine Kitts</a>, who are regular contributors; we have also welcomed first contributions from a handful of others as well. You'll continue to see some this week.<br />
<br />
If you or someone you know would like to contribute to our site and help educate the world on what's new in the world of Sherlock Holmes - events, book reviews, games, etc. - <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/p/aboutcontribute.html#.WVq-KmgrLb0"><b>please visit the Contribute page of the Who We Are tab</b></a> you'll find at the top of the site. There you'll find an entry form that will allow you to become a contributor.<br />
<br />
We look forward to expanding our coverage and our editorial team. We're looking for people who write well and who have an ear to the ground for Sherlockian developments. And it should go without saying that an avid interest in Sherlock Holmes is also required. For example, someone who would know to post an image from "The Five Orange Pips" in a post marking our five years in existence...<br />
<br />
Thank you in advance for considering this opportunity and for sharing it with those you know.<br />
<br />
<i>--</i><br />
<i><br /></i>

Adding Contributors to IHOSE

"the intelligence of your correspondent" [VALL] A little over five months ago, without much (or any) fanfare, this humble on...

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by Scott Monty

Sherlock Holmes Comes to Arizona

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"he went prospecting into Arizona" [NOBL] </h4>
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</div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5csW9uM3BX0SLXTS4nY0jR7eD3VkO3kTlovCmyDAfolvu7oJLJ_GakJV8ud_FYhZHShyPdTT6GuBtwpANIpTBbAqXDDhPX-WabSkKjDDxy2-a_jdjGB_JlmR6rDxhnb4mujRh0xQxSnz/s1600/BSI+2016+Reception.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="960" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC5csW9uM3BX0SLXTS4nY0jR7eD3VkO3kTlovCmyDAfolvu7oJLJ_GakJV8ud_FYhZHShyPdTT6GuBtwpANIpTBbAqXDDhPX-WabSkKjDDxy2-a_jdjGB_JlmR6rDxhnb4mujRh0xQxSnz/s640/BSI+2016+Reception.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
[<i>Editor's note: the following was submitted to us by Robert Stek, BSI ("The Mysterious Scientist")</i>]<br />
<br />
Announcing the formation of Southern Arizona's first Sherlock Holmes scion society - at <a href="http://www.bookmans.com/">Bookmans</a>, 1930 E Grant Road, Tucson - <b>Sunday, March 20, 2011</b> from 2 PM to 4 PM.<br />
<br />
The 'parent' organization of Sherlockian societies is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Street_Irregulars">Baker Street Irregulars</a>, started in 1934 by one of the founders and editors of the Saturday Review of Literature, Christopher Morley.  Today there are over 400 active scion societies worldwide, and nearly 200 in the U.S. alone.  What is a scion society?  According to the late John Bennett Shaw, a distinguished Sherlockian, "It's two Sherlockians, a copy of the Canon [the 60 stories], and a bottle.  In a pinch, you can dispense with one of the Sherlockians."  Shaw also suggested that a scion society might begin with three members; that way, two can vote the third one out if necessary.<br />
<br />
<br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a>
The purpose of any Sherlockian group is to "keep green the memory of the Master" and to play the '<a href="http://bakerstreetjournal.com/grandgamev1.html">Grand Game</a>' - i.e., Holmes, Watson and all the other characters in the stories are not fictitious.  Watson wrote these stories and had them published by his Literary Agent, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Part of the pleasure of playing the Game is in using Holmes' own methods in deducing more information about the stories, and in finding inconsistencies and errors in the Canon (or sometimes Conan, as the 56 short stories and 4 short novels are collectively referred to).  For example, Holmes referred to his college days - we know he is brilliant and can therefore deduce that he went either to Oxford or Cambridge.  Or in <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>, Watson refers to his wound during the Afghan war - at the battle of Maiwand a Jezail bullet grazed the subclavian artery in his shoulder - but in later stories he limped due to his war wound.  Did he suffer two injuries?  Watson's wife referred to her husband, John H. Watson, as 'James.'  One explanation is that the 'H.' stood for the Scottish name 'Hamish' - a variation of 'James.'<br />
<br />
The focus of a scion society is both fun and scholarship.  Often a particular story is suggested reading for a meeting.  At the meeting the story may be discussed and analyzed and/or a quiz may be given on the story with a small Sherlockian prize awarded the person with the highest score.  Toasts (alcoholic and/or non-alcoholic, depending upon the venue) are also given at meetings - to Holmes, Watson, Mrs. Hudson, <i>the</i> woman - Irene Adler - Mycroft, the Queen, and even to the Literary Agent; often the toasts are in rhyme. One or two 'learned papers' are usually presented by attendees, usually focusing upon some inconsistency in a story, perhaps a new deduction or possibly a review of some current Sherlockian film or play.<br />
<br />
In some scions, Victorian dress is encouraged and may be the topic of a talk or two, or even a fashion show!  Factual papers about the Holmesian era are often presented; for example, sometimes prices in pounds and shillings are mentioned in the stories.  Adjusted for inflation and currency exchange, what would these figures be today?  Dramatic readings and short plays may also be presented and as well older movies or videos may be shown.  An interesting discussion of Sherlockian scion societies can be found at <a href="http://www.sherlockian.net/societies/bvw.html.">Sherlockian.net: Singular sets of people</a>.<br />
<br />
Formal meetings may be held two or more times a year.  Small groups often meet at someone's home - sometimes light refreshments are provided, sometimes a potluck dinner is organized.  Larger meetings are sometimes held at local restaurants, especially if the prepared meal is one described in one of the stories.  Other than paying for meals or a pro rata proportion of refreshments and/or venue rental, there are no dues.<br />
<br />
Whether March 20th from 2 PM to 4 PM at Bookmans turns out to be an intimate meeting of three Sherlockians or a standing room only crowd (the meeting room at Bookmans can only hold about 25), this will be the first meeting of the as-yet-unnamed southern Arizona Sherlockian scion society.  (The Desert Beekeepers meet monthly in Fountain Hills!)  RSVP's appreciated to: stekster@gmail.com by March 18th.  And since "A Scandal in Bohemia" occurred on March 20, 1888, you might find it worthwhile to re-read that famous case for this first meeting!<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />

Sherlock Holmes Comes to Arizona

"he went prospecting into Arizona" [NOBL] [ Editor's note: the following was submitted to us by Robert Stek, BSI (...

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by Scott Monty

Favorite Sherlock Holmes Quotes

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"a favourite ditty" [LAST] </h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zNMayIn7gaSIBOWDNVnhNV4DCHIWkX9Yk-cKX0J1dB-VJKA-FTTS5KWeM0dbfkSSXSeqszdY20Rq1iLW6f3ljrq_H8_XXCBH70HrWngPgL3iUTNLOUcjVQxXtRN8iTex9KGzJJA0HuBs/s1600/Quotable+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zNMayIn7gaSIBOWDNVnhNV4DCHIWkX9Yk-cKX0J1dB-VJKA-FTTS5KWeM0dbfkSSXSeqszdY20Rq1iLW6f3ljrq_H8_XXCBH70HrWngPgL3iUTNLOUcjVQxXtRN8iTex9KGzJJA0HuBs/s1600/Quotable+Sherlock+Holmes.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebakerstree-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0446677272" style="border: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="1" />As you may know, we have a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ihearofsherlock">Facebook Page</a>. We use it to notify our fans that we have new content on the site here, but we also try to use it for other purposes, such as quick posts that might not seem to warrant a full entry here, lighthearted observations, and an opportunity to interact.<br />
<br />
One of the regular things we share include quotes from the Canon. We certainly have our own favorites, but as you can imagine, everyone has his or her preferences as well. We love hearing from our fans - on Facebook or below in the comments section - so <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BakerStreetBlog/posts/10150110898262713">we recently asked our fans on Facebook</a> a relatively innocuous question (well, for Facebook, anyway):<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/BakerStreetBlog/posts/10150110898262713"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eCt8hKN3UAALS4a6PhqZGPNMfQimPWNNBWwMU_nbimj_kk6AfrLeNW2-1NvfPgN2eNv93JxUI97TOqTm2Hfn5JjVyR6H8QDBW_65wYlz32JwL6FEcNxn_oNzIm9pTru3GDufrD_8KouF/s1600/Capture.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
Here are some of the responses we received:<br />
<br />
"But there are always some lunatics about. It would be a dull world without them."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- "The Adventure of the Three Gables"</div>
<br />
"Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- "A Case of Identity"</div>
<br />
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- "A Scandal in Bohemia"</div>
<br />
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- <i>The Sign of Four</i></div>
<br />
"You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!"<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs"</div>
<br />
"Is there any other little service that I can do you, my friend?"<br />
"A match and a cigarette."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- "The Adventure of the Dying Detective"</div>
<br />
"The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire"</div>
<br />
Some of our favorites include:<br />
"For once you have fallen low. Let us see in the future how high you can rise."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- "The Adventure of the Three Students"</div>
<br />
"Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons with the greatest for the last."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- "The Adventure of the Red Circle"</div>
<br />
"When one tries to rise above Nature, one is liable to fall below it."<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- "The Adventure of the Creeping Man"</div>
<br />
If you'd like to see what some of the most popular quotes are, as ranked by Randall Stock, check out <a href="http://www.bestofsherlock.com/top-10-sherlock-quotes.htm">The 10 Most Famous Sherlock Holmes Quotes</a>, which includes an explanation of the ranking criteria as well as the complete context around each quote.<br />
<br />
Do you have some favorite lines from the Canon? Please leave a comment below and tell us. No account or login is required to do so.<br />
<br />
--<br />
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