Tag: Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire appears in four stories: The Adventure of The Copper Beeches, Silver Blaize, The Crooked Man and The Problem of Thor Bridge. All of the stories have been dated between 1887 and 1901.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s association with Hampshire began when he entered into a medical practice in Southsea,part of Portsmouth, in 1882 at 1 Bush Villas, Elm Grove, Southsea. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his first two Sherlock Holmes stories while living in Southsea. The stories were “A Study in Scarlet”, published in 1887, and “The Sign of Four”, 1890. More stories soon followed. Doyle left Southsea in 1900.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s final resting place is the churchyard of All Saints’ Church in Minstead in The New Forest.

The Society has visited Hampshire on three occasions. Winchester twice – in 1991 and 2018 and Portsmouth in2008. Further details can be found in “The Tri-Metallic Question—The Winchester Expedition of 1991” and “I Proceeded to Portsmouth—the Society’s weekend visit in 2008”. Both are obtainable here: www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk. There was also a visit by the Society in 2010—”Surrey with a Fringe– The Handbook of the Surrey and Hampshire Weekend 2010”. This excursion touched on the story of “The Crooked Man” in Aldershot.

  • Favorite

    The Plough

    If one subscribes to the view that Avington Park is Neil Gibson's estate then Itchen Abbas to which Holmes and Watson travelled to/from Winchester and The Plough is where they stayed after Holmes explained to Watson how Mrs Gibson's death occurred

  • Favorite

    HM Prison Winchester

    This is the prison in which Miss Grace Dunbar would have been held pending her trial during “The Problem of Thor Bridge” and it was to here that Holmes obtained "the necessary permits" to visit

  • Favorite

    The Black Swan Buildings

    The buildings are on the site of The Black Swan Hotel in which Holmes and Watson had lunch with Violet Hunter Following her summons " Please be at the Black Swan Hotel at Winchester at midday tomorrow, it said. Do come! I am at my wits’ end”.

  • Favorite

    Winchester Railway Station

    It was to this station that Watson and Holmes travelled from London on the cases of Silver Blaize, The Copper Beeches and Thor Bridge It was here in “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” that Jethro Rucastle told Miss Violet Hunter “I shall meet you with the dog-cart at Winchester. Let me know your train”. On being summoned, Watson announced “There is a train at half-past nine, said I, glancing over my Bradshaw. It is due at Winchester at 11.30.” In "Silver Blaize" we find that "Four days later Holmes and I were again in the train, bound for Winchester to see the races for the Wessex Cup. Colonel Ross met us by appointment outside the station and we drove in his drag to the course beyond the town." In "The Problem of Thor Bridge" Holmes looked at his watch: "I have no doubt we can get the permits this morning and raech Winchester by the evening train"