I loved this statue of Sherlock Holmes from the moment I set eyes on it.  It was Laura Porter of About London (the Queen of all things London) who took me on a Sherlock Holmes hunt with the statue as our first stopping place.

Research shows that John Doubleday is the artist behind this three metre bronze depiction of the fictional detective.  It was commissioned by the Abbey National Building Society who are located at the supposed address of the great detective, 221b Baker Street, to celebrate Holmes’ 150th anniversary.  As there was no possible site for the statue in Baker Street itself, it actually resides outside Baker Street Underground Station on the Marylebone Road.  The statue was unveiled by Lord Tugendhat, the chairman of Abbey National, on 23rd September 1999.

This is  the second statue of Holmes that Doubleday has created – the first is in Meiningen, Switzerland near the Reichenbach Falls – the scene of Holmes’ fake death in The Final Problem when fighting arch foe, Moriaty – believed to be the world’s only seated statue of Holmes.

Contributor and photographer:  Sue Lowry

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