I’ve mentioned before what a huge Sherlock Holmes nerd I am. I legitimately even wrote my college entrance essay about him. My love began at a young age by obsessively watching the “Great Mouse Detective” before later delving into the stories for myself. (The Conan Doyle original, not the Cumberbatch update – I have mixed feelings on it, don’t get me started.) And yet, I’d never ventured to 221B Baker Street myself. To be honest, the price tag always put me off a bit.
So when Travelex offered me the opportunity to be a tourist in London for a day, I quickly took them up on the offer. I started my day by changing $150 (USD) to pounds. Travelex made the whole process really simple and the young lady at their Oxford Circus location was the nicest. I started out by having breakfast at Dishoom, following that up with exploring the Sherlock Holmes museum, then a snack at the Nordic Bakery and lastly watching the sunset from atop Tower Bridge. It was a great day and I’ll talk about the other aspects of it in length another time. But for now let’s get back to Sherlock Holmes.
I’m going to use the term “museum” loosely. It’s hard to make a museum about a fictional person, I grant you. But I expected to see some memorabilia from various actors who’ve portrayed Sherlock, editions of Conan Doyle’s books and some Victorian artefacts thrown in here and there.
At least that’s what I expected. What you get is more a mishmash of Victorian set dress and some really terrifying waxworks of some of Holmes’ most infamous cases. Sam and I were both creeped out at various points in time. It was definitely a laugh, and it’s something that I am glad to say that I finally did. But with tickets at £15 a head, it’s not something I’d prioritise as a tourist with limited time in London.
I’d be an excellent Sherlock.
Death by snake bite – what a way to go!
I couldn’t help posing by a legend.
My take on Sherlock is far superior to Sam’s.
Have you ever visited the Sherlock Holmes museum yourself?
*Travelex provided my funds for my day out, but how I spent them and all my opinions are solely my own. For the US TravelEx site, click here.
