The new Museum of London exhibition Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Never Lived And Will Never Die opened in October last year. It couldn’t be better timed as the popularity of Conan Doyle’s hero has never been higher with the hugely popular BBC Sherlock series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman and the Hollywood movies starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.
Sherlock Holmes is the most famous fictional detective of all time. And if the answers to Robert Elms’ regular ‘Who is your favourite fictional Londoner?’ question to his guests on his BBC London radio show is any way to judge such things then Sherlock Holmes holds that title too. For over 125 years, generations of actors, scriptwriters and directors have brought us a never-ending stream of film, TV and theatre adaptations of Conan Doyle’s original 4 novels and 56 short stories. Is there another fictional character who can compete with the great detective for endurance and longevity?
There is a strong filmic element to the exhibition with a wall of screens showing clips from many of the television and movie adaptations, featuring different actors who have taken on the role of Sherlock Holmes over the years including Peter Cushing, Jeremy Brett and Benedict Cumberbatch. Even the famous Belstaff coat worn by Cumberbatch is on show.
Open until 12th April 2015
Museum of London
London Wall
London EC2
Adult tickets are £12.55 (£11.45 without donation), concession tickets (ages 12-15, students, over 60, unwaged and registered disabled) £10.45 (£9.45 without donation) and flexible family tickets for 3-6 people (must include at least one child and one adult) are £9.95 (child) and £10.05 (adult) per person (£8.95 per person without donation).
It is FREE, fast-track entry for Friends of the museum and FREE for children under 12.
The London Art File 