Sherlock Holmes

Generally, I avoid 'tourist' museums like the plague. You know the type- museums that only foreigners go to that often celebrate a ficticious person or place (I don't see the appeal of the Anne of Green Gables House, for example). But I had to go to the Sherlock Holmes Museum, even though it is incredibly tacky. It's set up as Homes' flat at 221B Baker St. (an address that doesn't really exist). It looks like this, with flat and gift shop side by side.

The half the rooms are set up to as the rooms inhabited by Holmes and Watson. Such as this one.

The other half are filled with wax and plaster mannequins depicting famous scenes from the stories. They are really creepy... but old fashioned mannequins scare me all the time, for both aesthetic and conservation reasons. Here's one example.

There is a guest book to sign. My friend Jenn was kind enough to come with me, we both signed the guest book.

And we both got to meet 'Dr. Watson' and got photos taken with him

I really wanted him to drop character and ask this man what it's like to pretend to be a fictional person for your career, but he was waiting for his tea so we didn't want to bother him. The rooms are full of brick-a-brack to make the space feel real. This was my favourite detail.

Just what you'd find in anyone else's home.