Sherlock's Home

Steve Emecz

Description

1903 saw The Adventure of The Empty House and the return of Sherlock Holmes to 221b Baker Street where he explains the deception of his death at the Reichenbach Falls to his faithful friend Dr John Watson. 2012 sees The Crime of The Empty House where the former home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Undershaw, lies in disrepair and the threat of being destroyed forever. Commissioned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, Undershaw was witness to the creation of many of his most famous works, including The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Return of Sherlock Holmes. It is a building deserving preservation for the British nation, and indeed the world, for all time. Sadly, the building is currently under threat from the property developers who wish to divide the house into 3 separate units and build a further 5 alongside. Planning permission for development has already been approved by Waverley Borough Council. The Undershaw Preservation Trust (UPT), with Mark Gatiss [BBC Sherlock] as Patron, is dedicated to the preservation and protection of this important literary building and are campaigning to get this decision overturned, so the house can be restored to its original glory and enjoyed as the single dwelling Sir Arthur Conan Doyle intended it to be. This book is a collection of short Sherlock Holmes stories and poems written by fans from around the world in support of the Save Undershaw campaign - even the cover has been designed by fans. Royalties from the book go towards the UPT to preserve this wonderful house for future generations of Doyleans, Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts and literary fans of all kinds. More information on the Save Undershaw campaign can be found on their website: www.saveundershaw.com.

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 20 décembre 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781780922263
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title Page
SHERLOCK’S HOME
The Empty House
Compiled By Sherlockology
Edited By Steve Emecz



Publisher Information
First edition published in 2012
© Copyright 2012
Digital edition converted and
Distributed in 2012 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
The right of Sherlockology and Steve Emecz to be identified as the editors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998. Copyright is retained by the individual contributors.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and not of MX Publishing.
Published in the UK by MX Publishing
335 Princess Park Manor, Royal Drive,
London, N11 3GX
www.mxpublishing.com
Cover design by www.sherlockology.com









About This Book
When we first started Sherlockology it was down to our personal love of what was at the time a remarkable three episode BBC drama, created by the enormously talented Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. Each member of the team had previous interest in arguably the greatest fictional detective of all time and varied knowledge of previous incarnations and the canon from which they were based. As time went on however, like Alice in Wonderland, we began to venture down the rabbit hole into the world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes.
What we discovered on our journey was that Sherlock Holmes is a character like no other. He does not simply live on the pages of a book, nor is he only brought to life by the various and numerous actors who have portrayed him. He is a living breathing, flesh and blood person, who becomes more real and more relevant in the real world around us, regardless of the era, the longer the acquaintance you share with him. Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Watson, Mrs. Hudson, Mycroft Holmes, and the rest of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters, have become far more than the invention of a talented author. To us and to many before, and no doubt after, they have become life- long friends.
Were it not for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introducing us, both literary history and our own imaginations, would be much duller indeed. He gave us the most unique type of hero, he gave us someone to believe in, and for that, the very least we can do is to ensure the creator of such an individual, has a legacy to live on for future generation. They will discover, as we have, the joy of meeting Sherlock Holmes.
That legacy lives in the pages of the canon, but also in the bricks and mortar of Undershaw. This was the building in which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, designed, built, entertained his fellow authors and most importantly wrote more cases for Sherlock Holmes. For the house to be lost, would be an unimaginable travesty, and this book is a product of the fight to preserve it. Those who have contributed to the contents fight, the hundreds who submitted entries fight and most importantly, you the purchaser of this book fight with us.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who made this book possible. To Roger Johnson who went above and beyond and was an absolute rock throughout the short time period we had to put this book together; to Michael Cox and Sue Vertue for their help and support, the producers of two different but equally brilliant Sherlock Holmes television series; Nicholas Briggs, Douglas Wilmer, David Stuart Davies, Roger Llewellyn, Gyles Brandreth, Jeff Decker, Alistair Duncan, Stephen Fry and Mark Gatiss (Patron of UPT) for their contributions and sharing with us the importance of saving Undershaw; and finally The Undershaw Preservation Trust, Lynn Gale and Jacquelynn Morris, for bringing this to the public’s attention and MX Publishing for making the book a reality.
Sherlockology
www.sherlockology.com



The Undershaw Preservation Trust
Towards the end of 2008, I had a very vivid dream about a Victorian family standing in the doorway of a huge house. From behind an old-fashioned camera I appeared to be taking photographs. On waking I tried desperately to place these people that had shared my dream, but nothing prepared me for the shock when I opened a book of Sir Arthur’s several months later to find a picture of his second family, just as they had appeared in my dream.
Several months later I set out by car with my camera slung on the back seat with no clear journey in mind. The ‘For Sale’ sign at the entrance of Undershaw, which I had passed on many occasions before, seemed to jump out at me: a clear indication that I should descend on Undershaw with my camera held firmly in my hand to capture its history. The photos that were taken on that day of a decaying building formed part of what has lead me into a campaign that, over the years, has aroused the attention of people from all walks of life and from all around the globe.
I had no idea what was waiting for me behind the mass of tall trees as I slowly walked down the long driveway that meandered its way down to the red brick building. History appeared to seep out of its walls as I trod the same ground as many who had walked before me centuries ago. I had gone there in my teens and somehow it felt that I was walking back in time. There, underneath high-rise scaffolding and a protective roof, stood the former Surrey home of Sherlock Holmes’ creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a much respected gentleman of the neighbourhood in his day and one of the greatest fictional authors of all time.
I was struck by the state of near ruin the house was in; clearly it had been abandoned to weather the elements alone over the years. Almost instantaneously I felt a strong urge to save it and, by so doing, return it to its former charm, character and elegance.
Save it? How does one achieve such a remarkable, insane feat? Was I just an irrational, over-enthusiastic woman who wanted to perform the impossible? But the urge was so strong that I felt propelled forward: if there is something you want so badly, it can always be achieved.
My fervent hope for Undershaw is that it will be resurrected as Sherlock Holmes was resurrected and that, like Sherlock Holmes, it will live on for many generations to come.
Lynn Gale
Undershaw has always been a place of hospitality…the stage having first been set by Arthur Conan Doyle who entertained many family, friends and literary luminaries in the home that was his inspiration …and then carried on by managements who ran it for decades as a welcoming hotel , with guests enjoying its cuisine and conviviality and oft times dining in the garden tree house. Amongst ACD’s many talents, the pursuit of justice was paramount. And it is justice that must again triumph to free Undershaw from the grips of vandalism and to restore it to a meeting place of like minds, interests, intrigue and aspiration.
Sue Meadows
Co-founders of The Undershaw Preservation Trust
www.saveundershaw.com



Undershaw – A Brief History
For the benefit of those who don’t know, Undershaw is the name given by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his former home in Hindhead, Surrey. He lived there from October 1897 until September 1907 when he married his second wife, Jean Leckie, and moved to Crowborough in Sussex.
Undershaw is unique amongst Conan Doyle’s former homes as it is the only one where he had a hand in the design. Many of its features were designed specifically with Louise Conan Doyle in mind. She had been suffering from tuberculosis since late 1893 and the large windows, shallow staircases and doors that could be pushed from both sides were all features designed for her comfort. Sadly the house would be the site of her death in July 1906 when she finally succumbed to her illness.
It was in this house that many of Conan Doyle’s works of significance were created (in whole or in part). For the readers of this book the most notable works produced during this time were The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Return of Sherlock Holmes. It is therefore perfectly fair to say that Undershaw was the site of Sherlock Holmes’s re-birth. This was, of course, a cause for celebration by his many fans at the time and is something fans of today are equally grateful for.
After Conan Doyle left the house in 1907 it was briefly let to tenants. It is believed that he hoped to eventually give the house to his son Kingsley but when he (Kinglsey) tragically died just before the end of the First World War, Conan Doyle made the decision to sell Undershaw at a rock-bottom price. Some little time later it became a hotel.
In 2004, when its period as a hotel came to an end, the house was purchased with a view to redevelopment. An application was made to the local council (and approved) to convert the grade two listed building into a series of apartments and town houses with additional new structures to be built in the grounds.
These are the plans that The Undershaw Preservation Trust and its supporters (including you dear reader) are fighting against. This battle needs fighting not only for the sake of Undershaw but for the sake of historically significant sites worldwide. The people in power need to be shown that we will not stand by without protest while they a