On this day: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was Born
Thursday, 22nd May 2014 by Ian Brown
On May 22, 1859, the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh. 221B Baker Street is, of course, the residence of his most famous character Sherlock Homes. The address didn't actually exist until the street was extended in the 1930s, at which point the business there had to employ a full-time secretary just to answer mail addressed to the world-famous consulting detective.
About the author
Ian Brown lives in Ottawa, Canada, and spends his spare time perusing maps to find new routes to ride on his orange bicycle.
It should be noted though that even this pic isn’t actually 221b Baker Street. 221b used to be the head office of the Abbey National Building Society, now showing as Park View Residences a little further down the road. I used to work there and knew the secretary who used to reply to the letters. The 221b you show in the pic is actually 237 (I think) and has been a tourist trap for years.
Thanks for your comment Steve, I was misled by both Google and Wikipedia, and taken in by the ‘221B’ above the front door!