I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere: Jacquelynn Morris

Showing posts with label Jacquelynn Morris. Show all posts

Why One Sherlockian Does Not Support the New Short Story Collection

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"Some deep sorrow gnaws ever at her heart." [HOUN]</h4>
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[<i><b>Editor's note:</b> the following does not represent the opinion of this site; this is one Sherlockian's opinion about a very complex matter. We'll leave it to you to decide for yourself.</i>]<br />
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No doubt you have recently seen testimony on I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere by the numerous authors involved with MX Publishing’s Kickstarter campaign and ambitious undertaking to present the largest collection of Sherlockian writings <i><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1229605719/the-worlds-largest-new-sherlock-holmes-story-colle" target="_blank">(The World's Largest New Sherlock Holmes Story Collection</a></i>). Many of the authors are very dear friends of mine for whom I have much respect; in addition they are all extremely talented, so I have no doubt the collection will be a stellar one. But I will not be supporting the Kickstarter, nor will I be purchasing the books. <br />
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The project is being promoted as one to benefit Undershaw, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s former home, which he designed himself, and where he brought Sherlock Holmes back to life in order to get the funds to cover the building costs of Undershaw. While this three-volume set by MX appears on the surface to be a worthy cause—and I believe that MX Publishing has every good intention—to some of us who have been intimately involved with the <a href="http://www.saveundershaw.com/" target="_blank">Undershaw Preservation Trust</a> (UPT) and know the struggles to save this magnificent icon of historic and literary value, the long-term benefit of the fundraising is questionable. <br />
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I have been an active and outspoken member of UPT since 2009; I have been the U.S. representative for nearly that long, and have worked closely with the founder and co-founders of UPT. (<b>Note</b>: In this piece I am speaking only for <u>myself</u>; I do not speak for UPT nor any of its officials, though I write this with their permission.) In 2011 I visited Undershaw and saw for myself the deterioration it suffered at the hands of its former owners, whom UPT continued to challenge through legal means to force them to comply with the local requirements of maintaining an unoccupied property. <br />
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"the whole history of the settlement" [STUD]</h4>
In addition, the former owners had plans to convert the home to several townhomes, and to build other townhomes on the property. Those of us who supported UPT and Undershaw worked long and hard to raise awareness around the world that this home, and all it represented for Sherlockians, would be destroyed forever should this be allowed to happen. It was not only the home itself that we wished to preserve, but the land upon which the home was built. As Conan Doyle had sought out a suitable location to build a home to aid his wife in her struggles with tuberculosis, he wrote to his mother in 1895 about the parcel of land in Hindhead, Surrey, “It is because its height, its dryness, its sandy soil, its fir trees, and its shelter from all bitter winds present the conditions which all agree to be best in the treatment of phthisis [tuberculosis]. If we could have ordered Nature to construct a spot for us we could not have hit upon anything more perfect.” <br />
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Fast forward--past successful rulings on behalf of Undershaw, victories for its preservation, attempts to find a buyer or buyers to purchase the home and perhaps to create an historic center of all things Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes--to the present, and the purchase of Undershaw by DFN Foundation / Stepping Stones School. [<i>An additional but truncated timeline can be found on <a href="http://artintheblood.net/understanding-the-undershaw-debatedebacle/" target="_blank">Art in the Blood</a>. - Ed.</i>]<br />
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<a href="http://www.steppingstones.org.uk/News/Undershaw-Saved/" target="_blank">Stepping Stones Schoo</a>l is an educational opportunity for children with various challenges. In itself, it is a most worthy cause; that Undershaw was bought to house a branch of the school could have been the best combination of historic preservation paired with a cause that no doubt Conan Doyle would be proud of. But at that point the worthiness of the cause gets in its own way, and as a result, Undershaw—for which many of us have worked so long to save—will be sacrificed to a skewed understanding of what “preservation” and “restoration” really mean. <br />
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Undershaw has always been more than just a piece of property and a derelict brick home. Undershaw represents Conan Doyle—and Sherlock Holmes—at a pivotal time of their individual existences. The home was designed by Conan Doyle, and named, as he wrote, “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” (“shaw,” meaning a small copse or wood). As the area did not yet have electricity, an electric generating house with a steam driven plant made Undershaw the first house in Hindhead to have electricity. The home is where Conan Doyle lived when he wrote <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i>. “The Empty House,” and <i>The Return Of Sherlock Holmes</i> resurrected Holmes from the Reichenbach Falls in Conan Doyle’s study at Undershaw. Inside those walls <i>The Great Boer War</i> was written. The house was where Bram Stoker, J.M. Barrie, and Virginia Woolf stayed as guests; William Gillette traveled to Undershaw to discuss Conan Doyle’s “Sherlock Holmes” play. While living at Undershaw, Conan Doyle received the knighthood, defended George Edalji, and met the woman who would become his second wife, Jean Leckie. [For more information on the history of Undershaw, see <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/2011/03/effort-to-preserve-it-iden_7.html#.Vc1PVfRRK-y" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">“An Effort to Preserve It”</a>] <br />
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"marked down for destruction" [VALL]</h3>
The DFN Foundation, or Stepping Stones School, were at first perceived as the savior of Undershaw when the purchase was made. Supporters celebrated listened to promises as UPT founder John Gibson and the Foundation entered discussions, reached agreements and ultimately signed a deal seemingly in support of his mission to keep Undershaw exactly as Doyle knew it.<br />
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What happened next is a “he-said-she-said” situation, as the lines of communication were confused, and the destruction of portions of the Undershaw estate began. (It should be noted that UPT continues to fight for Undershaw through the British legal system, with the encouragement of English Heritage and The Victorian Society.) In recent months the electric-generating house has been demolished, the stable (which had been left for 100 years with its iron stalls just as Conan Doyle had made them) has developed to become a small residential facility; the well which served the property has been filled with concrete (again, that had previously been left as it was when the Conan Doyle family was in residence); a tree planted by Conan Doyle himself has been bulldozed, as has most of the “endless sea of greenery” as described by Bram Stoker upon a visit there. The very nature and spirit of Undershaw, along with its name, is being destroyed. <br />
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In addition, a structure nearly three times the size of Undershaw will be built adjacent to it, in a modern style which will eclipse the modest Victorian home. Conan Doyle’s home will become a mere shadow of its former self, with nothing remaining of its proud literary heritage, nor of its significance to Sherlockians around the world. <br />
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On the Kickstarter page for <i>The World’s Largest New Sherlock Holmes Story Collection </i>the description of the fundraiser says, “The [contributing] authors are donating the royalties to the restoration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's former home, Undershaw.” Knowing of the destruction—not restoration—of Undershaw which has occurred to date, I have little confidence in just how much restoration we can really count on. The only part of Undershaw which has been slated for restoration as far as I know has been the stained glass windows which Doyle had designed and installed. <br />
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There is no blame to be placed on the writers who believed they were contributing to the restoration of Undershaw through their work, nor on the hundreds of backers of the Kickstarter campaign. Nor should Steve Emecz and MX Publishing be perceived as having any ill intentions. This is, perhaps, a disagreement in what one considers restoration and preservation. To me, that entails much, much more than a set of stained glass windows. It involves preserving the integrity of an historic home. <br />
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I am in full support of the fine work that Stepping Stones School does on behalf of disabled children, and the educational opportunities offered those children in a safe and comfortable environment. However, any piece of property could have provided the school with its new home; sacrificing Undershaw did not have to be a part of it. <br />
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Once the building plans have been completed, there will only remain a shell of what Undershaw once was, and what it could have been. And so, on behalf of the home which I and others have worked for over a decade to save, the home where I touched the actual wall of the study where Conan Doyle wrote about the characters which have meant so much to me, I cannot support the Kickstarter campaign, nor the books which will result from it.<br />
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Those of you who are interested in the Undershaw Preservation Trust are invited to view the Undershaw Preservation Trust website at <a href="http://www.saveundershaw.com/" target="_blank">www.saveundershaw.com</a> for <a href="http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/sir-arthur-conan-doyles-undershaw-9841022" target="_blank">updates on the legal battles</a> to save Undershaw. We will continue to fight for true preservation and restoration of Conan Doyle's home until all legal means are exhausted. <br />
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<i>"We never understand how little we need in this world until we know the loss of it."</i> - J.M. Barrie, friend to Conan Doyle<br />
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Why One Sherlockian Does Not Support the New Short Story Collection

"Some deep sorrow gnaws ever at her heart." [HOUN] [ Editor's note: the following does not represent the opinion of this...

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by Jacquelynn Morris, ASH, BSI

New Web Series Baker Street Finds Its Footing

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"I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground" [SIGN]</h4>
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Most of us have seen adaptations of Holmes and Watson on stage, in film, on television, in comic books, and as cartoons. With few exceptions, both characters have been portrayed by male actors. The CBS television show,<i> Elementary</i>, has a female Watson, as did <i>The Return of Sherlock Holmes</i> with Dr. Watson’s granddaughter, Jane, back in the late 1980s.<br />
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But in <i><a href="http://bakerstreet-collective.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Baker Street</a></i>, a new video series created, written by, and starring Hannah Drew and Karen Slater, we have Holmes and Watson both played by women. Based in contemporary times as are <i>Elementary </i>and <i>Sherlock</i>, the location of <i>Baker Street</i> is neither London nor New York, but Toronto. Watson in <i>Baker Street</i> utilizes modern technology as BBC’s does by “vlogging” (video blog), and both Holmes and Watson rely heavily on their mobile phones. But here the comparison to <i>Sherlock</i> ends.<br />
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There are currently three episodes of <i>Baker Street</i>, each one longer than the previous. The first episode begins rather shakily and self-conscious, as if the writers/actors are keenly aware that they are treading on hallowed ground. Somewhat contrived and awkward, the short video attempts to establish the characters—college-age women, each in need of a roommate—as initial adversaries, similar to the relationship between Holmes and Watson in the early episodes of <i>Elementary</i>. Watson seems flighty and annoying; Holmes is grumpy and distant—worse than an odd couple they seem destined to kill one another in their sleep. If you stopped there, though, you would only cheat yourself.<br />
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[I must add that, like real college-age women, Watson and Holmes use profanity in conversation. This might be off-putting to some, and I offer a NSFW (not safe for work) caveat.]<br />
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It is in episode two that we see Drew and Slater beginning to find their footing, both stylistically and canonically. While we are given to believe that this Watson has the wandering eye of the canonical Watson, a creepy scene with her new employer (a married professor much older than she) includes flirting and insinuation that there is a relationship outside of the office. I found this jarring and unnecessary, and its later denouement could have been reached without the creepy factor.<br />
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In episode two we are generously given some canonical treats. Referencing “The Blue Carbuncle” the production offers us the “Blue Diamond of Morcar,” which has gone missing and which Holmes finds in “anser anser domesticus” or domestic goose (thankfully, the famously nonexistent crop is not mentioned). We are introduced to Constable Stan Hopkins and his puppy dog eyes for Watson, and we find out that Holmes has a sister named Mycroft, who helped get her out of some trouble with the police. [It is worth noting that what Holmes does as a profession is somewhat murky, but it involves car theft, chemical experiments, and a mysterious arrangement doing research for professors, though apparently not Watson’s employer.]<br />
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The longest of the episodes is the final one so far released. In episode three Drew and Slater take off running. Wit and humor enter the mix, and Watson is no longer annoying but quite capable; Holmes is less grumpy and more thoughtful, and we see a friendship developing that has a welcome familiarity. <br />
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While episode three continues to contain references to BLUE, there is a brief scene involving details about a case that is the kissing cousin to “The Red-Headed League.” As in moments of canonical recognition in <i>Sherlock</i>, this one made me chortle with glee. Another fine moment was in how Watson saves Holmes from a physical assault by a very unsavory character—but I will let you experience that delightful moment for yourself. [NOTE: It is briefly mentioned in a previous episode.] I did find the means to be quite clever; a delightful ground-breaking moment of contemporary efficiency.<br />
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In a memorable scene we see conflict between Watson and sometime-boyfriend Hopkins, where Hopkins must arrest Holmes. This scene contains some fine acting and a delightful throwaway line from Holmes. “I’m not going to arrest myself!” she exclaims, voluntarily walking to the police vehicle as Watson and Hopkins morally struggle with his loyalty to his job and her loyalty to Holmes.<br />
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There are moments of brilliance in this final episode—we meet Mary Morstan, a reporter for a college newspaper called “The Strand,” and we find out some surprising details about Watson’s employer/paramour—but as in the revelation of Watson’s manner of saving Holmes, I choose to allow you those moments unspoiled. However, one thing I will tell you is the final line of this episode of <i>Baker Street</i> (a cliffhanger). Holmes says to Watson: "The game is afoot, Jane, and I think we might have made a slight misstep."<br />
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Though Drew and Slater had a few missteps in the beginning, I am confident that they stand on solid ground in <i>Baker Street</i>, and I truly hope there will be more episodes forthcoming.<br />
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New Web Series Baker Street Finds Its Footing

"I fancy that this ally breaks fresh ground" [SIGN] Most of us have seen adaptations of Holmes and Watson on stage, in film,...

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by Jacquelynn Morris, ASH, BSI

From Gillette to Brett IV — Sherlockian Film Festival and a Celebration of Friendship

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<b><i>The fifth in our <a href="http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/search/label/%23G2B4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">series of recaps</a> of #G2B4</i></b><br />
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Every Sherlock Holmes event has its own character, its own appeal to those of us "playing the game." From Gillette to Brett brings us Holmes in the visual and audio media, from radio drama to classic black and white film to modern adaptations and interpretations on the small (television) and the smaller screen (computer). While maintaining its unique character, this event also offers something near and dear to the heart of every Sherlockian; in the spirit of the Canonical Holmes and Watson, From Gillette to Brett celebrates friendship. Though the weekend was filled with classic films and fascinating presentations, under "Important Things to Know" in the weekend’s program was the following:<br />
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"Half the fun of events like ‘From Gillette to Brett IV’ is visiting with distant friends…"</blockquote>
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There was a lot of visiting going on over the weekend. People who only knew each other from Facebook, Tumblr, or Sherlockian blogs were able to meet in person. Those who live far apart had a chance to see each other and catch up on each other’s lives. In order to keep things running smoothly at the jam-packed event, the brilliant organizers, Steven Doyle, BSI, and Mark Gagen, BSI, drew names for door prizes at the beginning of each segment of Saturday’s symposium. The prizes were awarded only to those in their seats at the time of the drawing, guaranteeing that most attendees would be in place for the next speaker.<br />
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The event began on the lovely campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, at the Lilly Library’s rare book, manuscript, and special collections library. The group was deftly divided into two sections to attend a workshop on the Library’s collection of unique bound books, led by James Canary, Head of Conservation, as well as a session on rare manuscripts with Library Director, Joel Silver. Among the rare manuscripts that were available for viewing were a page of the New Testament of the Gutenberg Bible, the First Folio of Shakespeare, a rare copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tamerlane,” as well as an issue of “Beeton's Christmas Annual” of 1887, which contained “A Study in Scarlet,” and a fragment of a manuscript by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—Holmes’s note to Watson left at the top of the Reichenbach Falls in “The Final Problem.” On display in the Library were other works by Conan Doyle as well.</div>
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Others have written about the course of the weekend, so there is little need for a detailed rehash of the schedule. Some of the highlights of From Gillette to Brett IV include:<br />
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<li>A lovely reception where everyone mingled and enjoyed each other’s company.</li>
<li>Viewing <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> (2014 is its 75th Anniversary) on a huge movie screen in the IU Cinema. Never has the Basil Rathbone original been as captivating as on the big screen; the hound itself was frightening in a way it never was on a television screen.</li>
<li>First speaker on Saturday was Bonnie MacBird, author, actor, and screenwriter, who brought us into the world of screenwriting and how television scripts differ from film scripts. We learned how BBC's <i>Sherlock</i> is more similar to a film than a television show.</li>
<li>Kristina Manente, founder of the Baker Street Babes podcast, shared the fascinating world of internet Sherlockian fandom.</li>
<li>Author and playwright, David Stuart Davies, showed how "playing the game" can and should be fun through humorous glimpses of Canon, film, and television.</li>
<li>Bert Coules, head writer for the BBC’s Clive Merrison Sherlock Holmes radio drama, shared the history of British radio adaptations of the stories.</li>
<li>British film and television producer and director, Paul Annett, talked about his time at the helm of the first season of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series, and his working relationship and friendship with Jeremy Brett. Mr. Annett shared how he guided the actor in the early days of the ground-breaking series, and showed some silent screen tests with Brett and David Burke as they experimented with facial expressions and reactions for their characters.</li>
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The weekend concluded with a lovely banquet and a tribute to the late Michael Hoey, who had been on the original program but who passed away just weeks earlier. Following the banquet was yet one more delightful film, another 75th Anniversary celebrant, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” with the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce team, as well as the luminous Ida Lupino. The film was introduced by film studies scholar, Professor James Naremore.<br />
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Along with the many planned events, the weekend was filled with small gatherings of Sherlockians in local pubs and restaurants, and more than a few celebrated their time together as the legendary John Bennett Shaw’s "two [or more] Sherlockians and a bottle." <br />
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From Gillette to Brett IV was a remarkable achievement (as were its three predecessors) by Messrs. Doyle and Gagen of <a href="http://wessexpress.com/" target="_blank">Wessex Press</a>, bringing together fans of the Canon from all walks of life, many generations, different parts of the world, and differing opinions on just who is "the perfect Holmes." From Gillette to Norwood to Wilmer to Howard to Rathbone to Brett to Downey, Jr. to Cumberbatch to Miller; nearly everyone’s favorite made an appearance or was given a mention at the podium or in a lively discussion. <br />
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With apologies to Samuel Johnson, "…when a man or woman is tired of Holmes, they are tired of life; for there is in Holmes all that life can afford."<br />
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From Gillette to Brett IV offered more than any Sherlockian heart could possibly desire.<br />
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<i>Photos courtesy of Jacqueline Morris</i><br />
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From Gillette to Brett IV — Sherlockian Film Festival and a Celebration of Friendship

The fifth in our series of recaps of #G2B4 Every Sherlock Holmes event has its own character, its own appeal to those of us "p...

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by Jacquelynn Morris, ASH, BSI

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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