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A Virtual Tour of
"We met next day as he had arranged, and inspected the rooms at No. 221B Baker Street, of which he had spoken at our
meeting. They consisted of a couple of comfortable bedrooms and a single large airy sitting room, cheerfully furnished, and
illuminated by two broad windows."
With these words, the world was given its first look at what was to become the most famous sitting room in all of literature.
The narrator was Dr. John H. Watson, and the 'he', was none other than Sherlock Holmes. The famous detective and his devoted
friend shared these rooms, off and on, from 1881 to 1903.
The Sherlock Holmes tales give us many details as to how the sitting room was arranged and of its contents. Over time,
there have been a number of efforts to re-create the sitting room. An exhibition of the room was re-created for the 1951 Festival
of Britain. Most of that effort can still be viewed at the Sherlock Holmes Pub on Northumberland Street in London. Another
London re-creation can be found at the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street. The top floor of the Holiday Inn- Union Square
in San Francisco once housed a splendid rendition, but unfortunately, it has been dismantled and put into storage. Still another
Sherlock Holmes Museum and re-creation can be found at Meiringen, Switzerland, near the Reichenbach Falls, where Holmes' arch
enemy, Professor Moriarty, met his fate.
All the the above mentioned re-creations are commercial endeavors. There are a few non-commercial efforts, most notably,
those constructed by a group that call themselves "The Baker Street Builders." The "Builders" were founded
by Chuck Kovacic of North Hills California. The re-creations are a passion for the "Builders," and I am happy and
proud to have been included in this very distinctive group.
The project that has qualified me as a "Baker Street Builder" is shown below. Actual construction started
in 1998, but accumulation of artifacts started much earlier. The room was fully constructed by November of 1999, but changes
are constant, as new items are located and added to the room. Constructing the room was a great deal of fun. Now that it
is essentially complete, the joy now comes with sharing it with other Sherlockians. Visitors are welcome by appointment. If
you are ever in the Reading, Pennsylvania area, please arrange for a visit.
Click Here to E-mail me at dendobry@verizon.net
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