The Sherlock Holmes stories published under the purported authorship of Conan Doyle provide frequent (and often contradictory) descriptions of the rooms at 221B Baker Street rented by Holmes and Watson. No story ever directly mentions either a bathtub or a water closet (toilet). In The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax, Holmes deduces that Watson has enjoyed the Turkish baths and asks him,“Why the relaxing and expensive Turkish rather than the invigorating home-made article?” In The Sign of the Four, Watson returns to Baker Street after a long day of sleuthing and Watson was,“limp and weary, befogged in mind and fatigued in body.” But then Watson writes,"[a] bath at Baker Street and a complete change freshened me up wonderfully. When I came down to our room I found the breakfast laid and Holmes pouring out the coffee.” This passage makes clear that Watson’s bedroom was upstairs from the sitting room and states the obvious, that the renters were able to take a bath in their ... Read More >
The Baker Street Bazaar
The Baker Street Bazaar was an early shopping center taking up most of the block bounded by Baker Street and Gloucester Place, Dorset Street to the south and King Street to the North. The business began as a horse bazaar and was owned, prior to his bankruptcy in 1832, by John Maberly, MP. The firm continued, and extended into carriages and other goods, notably ladies' requirements, and furnishings. The upper floors of the building were occupied for a number of years by Madame Tussauds' famous waxworks until they moved to their own building in 1884. This area was subsequently converted into function rooms (known as the Portland Rooms) which were used for balls, bazaars and similar activities. The Metropolitan Board of Works (London's governing body at the time) required an additional exit to be constructed as a result of this change of use. Originally the Bazaar featured horses and cattle and carriages but eventually it became focus on consumer goods and entertainment. An ... Read More >