Alistair Duncan's Blog, page 69

Sad situation - 12 Tennison Road Up for Sale

I wrote a post last week regarding the fact that Arthur Conan Doyle's former home at 12 Tennison Road - South Norwood is up for auction as (potentially) a conversion prospect (i.e. division into flats). The sale takes place on February 28th 2013.

Recent photo of 12 Tennison Road by yours trulyI have just looked at the websites for the two local papers (Croydon Guardian and Croydon Advertiser) and neither has seen fit to even mention it (or they have buried their coverage so deep that it cannot be located).

This is depressing. Arthur Conan Doyle only lived at the property for around three and a half years (in comparison to ten at Undershaw) but it was during his residence that Sherlock Holmes (and ACD's career as a writer) really took off with the public. It is also where ACD penned Holmes's end in The Final Problem in 1893.

This importance is reflected by the fact that it is at this address that Conan Doyle's English Heritage plaque was erected.


The auctioneers are Barnett Ross and their page for the house can be seen here. Does anyone have a spare £875,000 ?

For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Sherlock meets TOWIE

Spot the silly mistake:

http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/news/search-for-clues-in-this-new-sherlock-promo-picture/43449




For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .

The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Sherlockian Civil War?

Much to my dismay we seem to be heading into a period of Sherlockian Civil War. I daresay that there have always been tensions between individual Sherlockians and small groups of Sherlockians – that is, after all, quite normal in almost any field; but recently things seem to have gone up a notch.
First we had the recent conflict over a certain article which appeared to question the validity of some approaches to the world of Sherlockiana. This got a lot more attention than it would otherwise have done purely because of the level of rage against it.
Now we have what appears to be a declaration of war by respected Sherlockian Leslie Klinger against the Conan Doyle Estate (see http://free-sherlock.com/). I make no comment on the rights and wrongs of this or the positions of the parties involved. That is clearly now a legal issue.
My concern is that people who I always assumed got on rather well appear to be lining up against each other. I find myself asking who are the Roundheads and who are the Cavaliers? How many bodies and long-term dislikes are going to exist when the dust finally settles?
I hope the game turns out to be worth the candle.


For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide includingAmazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Another Doyle home to save

The group known as the South Norwood Tourist Board report that Arthur Conan Doyle's former home at 12 Tennison Road South Norwood is up for sale with conversion into flats being a serious possibility.


12 Tennison Road in 2008 and 1892
So now both Undershaw and Tennison Road are under threat. It has to be said that Tennison Road is at least in good structural order.

Rear view of the house from the garden

Tennison Road today plus sale sign and awful paint job
ACD at his Tennison Road desk
ACD and Louise (from The Strand of August 1892)

ACD and fellow writer Robert Barr outside Tennison Road front door


The SNTB link can be seen here http://southnorwoodtouristboard.com/2013/02/13/conan-doyle-house-up-for-auction-may-be-turned-into-flats/
This period in Conan Doyle's life is covered in my book The Norwood Author with some other information in my book Close to Holmes.
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.

Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Conan Doyle Postcards - Yours to own

Portsmouth City Council have released a series of Conan Doyle postcards. What follows is the text that Portsmouth City Council provided:

Conan Doyle PostcardsPortsmouth, Hampshire. England
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle came to live and work in Portsmouth, England in 1882. He set up a Doctor’s practise with only £10 in his pocket and while waiting for patients, he wrote short stories. Conan Doyle married a local girl, Louisa Hawkins and their first child, Mary was born here. Sherlock Holmes was made in Portsmouth - A Study in Scarlet was published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual 1887. 


The Conan Doyle Collection: Richard Lancelyn Green Bequest
Richard Lancelyn Green was known for his encyclopaedic knowledge of Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes and acquired an extraordinary collection of objects, artefacts and books throughout his life. The collection was bequeathed to Portsmouth City Council in 2005 and holds 2000 objects, 14,000 books and 40,000 archives. This fantastic collection contains photographs, film posters, letters from the influential and famous as well as items belonging to Conan Doyle, such as his glasses, waistcoat and boxing gloves.
Set of six postcards
On 24thJune 2012, Portsmouth celebrated the 130th anniversary since Conan Doyle arrived in the city, devising a Sherlock Holmes Day and creating a set of six commemorative postcards. The text on the back is amalgamated from quotes sourced from Conan Doyle and paraphrased from the author. “With its imperial associations, Southsea is a glorious place; Portsmouth a town where I know nobody, and nobody knows me...”


Now available at £4.50 per pack (including p&p) from Portsmouth City Council:
https://ip.e-paycapita.com/AIP/itemSelectionPage.do?link=showItemSelectionPage&siteId=091&languageCode=EN&source=AIP
Please click on the link above and follow: Miscellaneous > Conan Doyle > select ‘Arthur Conan Doyle postcards’Please include the full postal address for delivery and email/telephone number.



Please note that this information is the responsibility of Portsmouth City Council

For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Stonyhurst in pictures

For your interest here are a couple of pictures from Arthur Conan Doyle's school - Stonyhurst.

Here we have a picture of the path known as The Dark Walk. Conan Doyle is rumoured to have based the path at Baskerville Hall (at the end of which Sir Charles Baskerville's body was found) on this path from his school.
The Dark Walk
"The facts of the case are simple. Sir Charles Baskerville was in the habit every night before going to bed of walking down the famous Yew Alley of Baskerville Hall. The evidence of the Barrymores shows that this had been his custom. On the 4th of June Sir Charles had declared his intention of starting next day for London, and had ordered Barrymore to prepare his luggage. That night he went out as usual for his nocturnal walk, in the course of which he was in the habit of smoking a cigar. He never returned. At twelve o'clock Barrymore, finding the hall door still open, became alarmed and, lighting a lantern, went in search of his master. The day had been wet, and Sir Charles's footmarks were easily traced down the Alley. Half-way down this walk there is a gate which leads out on to the moor. There were indications that Sir Charles had stood for some little time here. He then proceeded down the Alley, and it was at the far end of it that his body was discovered."


Here we have the Stonyhurst refectory where Arthur Conan Doyle would have eaten his meals along with his classmates. 

For information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Amusing mistake - Yorkshire Post

An amusing on-line article in the Yorkshire Post makes an elementary (cough) error regarding Holmes and trains.



http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/features/the-love-train-true-romance-of-railways-that-brought-britain-a-transport-of-delight-1-5399121

In it they state the following:

Agatha Christie famously opted for luxury for her own Murder on the Orient Express while Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes was happy to slum it with the regular passengers. A copy of Bradshaw’s guide always close at hand, the detective’s knowledge of the rail network was such that he should have worn an anorak rather than a cape and more than once this knowledge proved vital in solving some devious crime.

Given that, to the best of my recollection, Holmes always travelled first-class I'd be curious to know why the Post's reporter viewed this as slumming it.



For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Lunch at the Sherlock Holmes Pub

Yesterday afternoon I had lunch with Steve Emecz at the Sherlock Holmes Pub. Can it really be five years since he decided to publish my first book Eliminate the Impossible? Now MX has many authors producing non-fiction and fiction in the Holmes field.




For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Arthur Conan Doyle and 2nd family - Short video

Thanks to Peter Blau for the link via http://redcircledc.org/assets/Spermaceti/scuttlebutt-2013.pdf
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.

Rathbone - The Time Travelling Sherlock Holmes

The Sherlock Holmes films of Basil Rathbone began, as many know, set firmly in the Victorian era. Beginning with The Hound of the Baskervilles and followed by The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes they presented us with an image of Victorian England that was familiar to all even if it was one filtered through the eyes of Hollywood.


After these two films the franchise was taken over by Universal who, as is well known, moved the films some forty years forward in time so that they were set during the Second World War (even though the film may have had nothing to do with said war).
However, the studio appeared to go out of its way to preserve something of the Victorian era; an attempt to keep one part of Holmes’s world in its original chronological place.
Take a look at these two pictures taken from The Hound of the Baskevilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – both Victorian set.
Hound (left) Adventures (right) - click to enlarge
Now take a look at these images taken from the Universal series.
Dressed to Kill The House of Fear
The Woman in Green
Little changes have taken place in the sense that oil/gas lamps have been replaced by electric ones but, aside from this, there is a very Victorian feel about 221B in the Universal films. The studio may have felt bold enough to modernise the world outside of 221B but it was not so brave that it felt it could mess with Holmes’s inner world.
It was almost like Holmes had his own Tardis that remained the same inside regardless of what the world outside looked like. The one fixed point in a changing age perhaps?



For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author  is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK,  Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA,  Barnes and Noble,  Amazon UK,  Waterstones UK,  Amazon Kindle,  Kobo,  Nook  and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.