Sherlockian Sojourns #71: ‘Off Up To Birmingham’ [STOC/3GAR]

Having arranged to travel to Birmingham for a theatre show, I decided to visit the sites relating to two canonical fake businesses – ‘the Franco-Midland Hardware Company’ from ‘The Stockbroker’s Clerk’ and ‘Howard Garrideb Agricultural Machinery’ from ‘The Three Garridebs’. Birmingham has many buildings dating from the Victorian period, but unfortunately, none of the places seen by Holmes and Watson have survived.

Catching an early train from London Euston, arriving at Birmingham New Street a couple of hours later. This is the station where Holmes and Watson would have arrived in Birmingham accompanying Hall Pycroft  [STOC]. However, the station was completely rebuilt in 1960, meaning that none of the station seen by them is still visible. Regardless, I took a few photos.

  

 ‘It was not, however, until we were in a first-class carriage and well started upon our journey to Birmingham that I was able to learn what the trouble was which had driven Mr. Hall Pycroft to Sherlock Holmes’.  [STOC]

 

Exiting the Station, just across the road was the Macdonald Burlington Hotel (formerly The Midland Hotel), the most likely location for the hotel where Hall Pycroft stayed whilst working in Birmingham.

 

‘I was off to Birmingham in a train that would take me in plenty time for my appointment. I took my things to a hotel in New Street, and then I made my way to the address which had been given me’.   [STOC]

 

It was then time for a non-canonical detour. A ten minute walk brought me to Sherlock Street, which was undergoing massive renovation. It was difficult to identify, but #115 is named Doctor Watson House, but was under so much scaffolding that this name plate could not be seen.

Retracing my steps to New Street, I reached the corner with my next port of call, Corporation Street. This was previously named Queen’s Corner, after the visit of Queen Victoria in 1887 (a year before Holmes and Watson visited).

   

Walking along Corporation Street, I finally reached a large roundabout, which now takes the place of 126B Corporation Street, the address, where the ‘Franco-Midland Hardware Company’ had its temporary premises. The property, was demolished to make way for the roundabout in the 1960s.

“ ‘Be in Birmingham to-morrow at one’, said Mr. Pinner. ‘I have a note in my pocket here which you will take to my brother. You will find him at 126B Corporation Street, where the temporary offices of the company are situated’.“    [STOC]

‘126B was a passage between two large shops, which led to a winding stone stair, from which there were many flats, let as offices to companies or professional men’.   [STOC]

 

The middle of the roundabout is Old Square, and features a sculpture to the comedian, Tony Hancock, who was born in Hall Green, Birmingham, on 12 May 1924. Appropriately the Square is the former home of the Birmingham Blood Transfusion Service  ['A Pint ?  That's very nearly an armful !'] . The sculpture was unveiled by Sir Harry Secombe in 1996. It has since been moved a few yards, to the centre of Old Square. Unfortunately, I have no record of Hancock ever playing Holmes.

I then caught a bus from a nearby stop to Aston Station. It was to this part of Birmingham that the unlucky Nathan Garrideb was sent on a fools errand, based on a fake advertisement.  [3GAR]  Garrideb presented at Grosvenor Buildings, which no longer exists (and may not even have ever existed), but Grosvenor Road still does. I therefore took a photo of the most likely building.

 

     

‘Howard Garrideb Constructor of Agricultural Machinery, Binders, reapers, steam and hand plows, drills, harrows, farmers’ carts, buckboards, and all other appliances. Estimates for Artesian Wells. Apply Grosvenor Buildings, Aston’    [3GAR]

 

Catching a bus back into central Birmingham, (passing the site of Conan Doyle’s practice with Dr. Reginald Ratcliff Hoare which I had visited previously) I had around an hour-and-a-half to waste before my theatre performance, which I spent in visiting a few nearby shops and having some lunch. My walk to the theatre led me past two points of interest. Firstly, Victoria Square, with its statue of Queen Victoria, sculpted by Thomas Brock, originally in marble then later recast in bronze. The Square was in process of being set up for Christmas Markets. Secondly, just up from the theatre, Baskerville House, actually named for John Baskerville, a local printer and type designer who was responsible for inventing "wove paper", which was considerably smoother than "laid paper", allowing for sharper printing results, which is the library for University College Birmingham.

 

Entering the theatre, in plenty of time for the matinee performance of ‘Becoming Nancy’, I had an enjoyable afternoon. I then made my way back to Birmingham New Street and my train home to London.

 

 

Sherlockian Sojourns #70: As Seen On Screen – ‘The Second Sign’

It was time to tour some more Central London filming locations, this time the locations used in the Granada dramatisations of ‘The Second Stain’ and ‘The Sign of Four’.

Catching the Northern Line from Morden, it was a twenty-five minute journey to Charing Cross and then a ten minute walk to Carlton Gardens (passing the little door in the Duke of York steps that is mentioned in ‘His Last Bow’). Number 2, Carlton Gardens was used as the exterior of the home of the Foreign Secretary (Stuart Wilson) and Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope (Patricia Hodge) in Granada’s ‘The Second Stain’.

  

 

The property also appears in ‘Murder By Decree’ (1979) in a scene where medium Robert Lees (Donald Sutherland) points the home of the killer out to Inspector Foxborough (David Hemmings). Field-Marshal Kitchener also lived here from 1914-15

From here I retraced my steps back to The Mall, and turned right onto Horse Guards Road, walking almost all its length until I reached the Clive Steps leading up to the Foreign Office, with John Tweed’s statue of Robert Clive (of India) at the top. Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and Watson (Edward Hardwicke) walk past this statue on the way to see Lady Hilda Trelawney-Hope  [Granada SECO].

A short walk to Westminster Abbey, then cutting through Dean’s Yard, I made my way to Barton Street (previously visited for being Baker Street in both ‘Murder By Decree’ and ‘Without A Clue’ (1988)), and at its end, Cowley Street. Number 17, Cowley Street appeared as the home of Eduardo Lucas (Yves Beneyton), and is where Lestrade (Colin Jeavons) finds the titular ‘second stain’.  [Granada - SECO]

  

Two doors down, at Number 15, there is a plaque to Radio Holmes, John Gielgud.

  

Returning to Horse Guards Road, I reached 1 Horse Guards Road, a building I desperately want to get inside as its courtyard features at the end of ‘Enola Holmes’ (2020), where Enola manages to avoid her two brothers. However, the side gates were walked past by Holmes and Watson on their way to see Lady Hilda.  [Granada – SECO] 

   

Making my way across Parliament Square, I reached Westminster Bridge, and ‘Boadicea and Her Daughters’/’Bouddican Rebellion’, a bronze statue located near Portcullis House and Westminster Pier, facing Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster across the road. The statue was sponsored by Prince Albert and placed in 1902. It was here that Holmes, Watson and Inspector Atheleny Jones (Emrys James) board the Police vessel, just before the boat chase in Granada’s ‘The Sign of Four’. There was also a photo shoot done with Jeremy Brett at this site, with Big Ben in the background.

      

 

Crossing the bridge, I reached the South Bank Lion, an 1837 sculpture which started life sitting on top of James Goding's Lion Brewery building, and the steps leading down from the bridge to the South Bank, which is where Watson collects a newspaper.  [Granada - SECO]

 

Walking back across the bridge, I caught the Jubilee Line to Tower Hill, and the Tower of London, which is seen in the background whilst Holmes is waiting on the Police barge for the start of the boat chase.  [Granada – SIGN]

It was then time for a twenty-five minute walk along the Thames, following the route of the SIGN boat chase, until I reached Wapping Station and Wapping High Street. Here a short distance along was Phoenix Wharf, which was used in the scenes with Toby, Holmes and Watson running around London.   [Granada - SIGN]

    

Further along Wapping High Street was King Henry's Wharf, which was also used in the scenes where Toby is following the scent around London. Specifically, the Wapping Old Stairs were used when Watson walks down to the waters edge. It was also used in the background when the Police boat is travelling into position.   [Granada - SIGN]

Returning to Wapping Station, I continued on, reaching New Crane Wharf, which was used in some of the scenes where the Baker Street Irregulars are hunting down the whereabouts of the Aurora.   [Granada - SIGN]

Back at Wapping Station, I caught an Overground train to Hoxton, where directly outside the station is Museum of the Home. This includes a ‘Rooms Through Time’ exhibition exploring how ways of living, furniture, textiles and decor have adapted through the ages, from the wooden interiors of the 1630s and Victorian floral motifs to mid-twentieth-century geometric designs and speculative visions of a future home. My main focus was on a recreation of a Townhouse from 1878.

 

  

I then caught a #243 bus to Old Street Station, had a brief detour to the Museum of Methodism for a Probation-themed exhibition, and then Northern Line back to Morden.