Sherlockian Sojourns #17: 'A Christmas Wild Goose Chase'

Something a little bit different this time. Using an app - 'Story Tourist' which I had downloaded in the middle of last year (and seemingly now discontinued), I undertook a self-guided tour, based on 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle'  (only four months after Christmas !!). The walk was approximately 5 km long and took around 90 minutes. The tour used GPS to determine when I had reached the correct location, then presented the corresponding segment of the story in both text and audio. The user also has the ability to immerse themselves further by taking photographs using customised filters – such as allowing me to wear Sherlock’s iconic pipe and hat while standing out front of 221B Baker Street.


The walk began outside the 'Sherlock Holmes Museum', where I struggled to get the filter to work as my arms were not long enough to hold my tablet far enough way from me to make my face small enough to fit under the hat and pipe.  (I decided to give up on the other filters). The first section of the story, relating to Watson visiting Holmes at Baker Street to wish him 'Merry Christmas' listened to and I moved on to the next 'story-point'.

 

This was the corner of Baker Street and Marylebone Road, where according to the text that came up, Henry Baker lost his Christmas goose. This didn't seem right to me, but I took a photo anyway. [However, on my return home, I confirmed that the loss had been at the corner of Tottenham Court Road and Goodge Street]

"As he reached the corner of [Goodge Street], a row broke out between this stranger and a little knot of roughs"

 
Next stop was the 'Sherlock Holmes' statue outside 'Baker Street' Underground Station, where I listened to Watson's failed deductions and Holmes' successful ones on Henry Baker's hat.

 "Watson, you can see everything. You fail, however, to reason from what you see".

 
Walking along Marylebone Road, and down a side-road, I eventually reached the site of Conan Doyle's Ophthalmic Practice (now a Dental Practice) at 2 Upper Wimpole Street, listening to the finding of the titular gem in the crop of the lost goose.

"By Jove, Peterson, this is treasure trove indeed !"

Walking to the next 'story point', I passed two other points of Sherlockian interest - Queen Anne Street, where Watson set up home and practice having 'selfishly deserted [Holmes] for a wife'; and Wigmore Street, the Post Office visited by Watson in 'The Sign of Four', deduced by Holmes based on mud on his shoes. However, the app made no mentions of these.

The next 'story point' was Cavendish Square Gardens, where the app located the Hotel Cosmopolitan from where the stone was stolen.  (The story does not give an exact location).

"It was lost, if I remember right, at the Hotel Cosmopolitan," I remarked.

The walk to the next point - Bedford Square Gardens- did bring me to the corner of Goodge Street and Tottenham Court Road that had been replaced earlier. This point, where I listened to Holmes praising the gem, appeared to have neither canonical or ACD-connections, being chosen for being halfway between the points on either side. The walk also went past the Langham Hotel which has a plaque commemorating Conan Doyle being commissioned to write 'The Sign of Four' (as well as being mentioned in the story and 'A Study in Scarlet'). This would seem to have been a more appropriate stopping point.

 "It's a bonny thing, just see how it glints and sparkles."

Finally I reached the 'Museum Tavern' opposite the British Museum, which appears in the story as 'The Alpha Inn' (but changed to its actual name in the text displayed and read). I felt that there was another missed opportunity, as just over the way was  Montague Street, where Holmes lived immediately on coming down from University, and first set up as a consulting detective.

"There are a few of us who frequent the [Alpha Inn], near the Museum"

The anti-penultimate and penultimate stops were both in Covent Garden, where Holmes and Watson first question a goose-dealer, and then apprehend the thief of the Countess of Morcar's precious stone.

"We passed through a zigzag of slums to Covent Garden Market." 

"The game's up, Ryder. Hold up, man, or you'll be into the fire!" 

Making my way down Southampton Street  (no mention of it being the site of the offices of 'The Strand Magazine'), I came out onto the Strand  (a short distance from 'Simpsons', a restaurant regularly visited by Holmes and Watson).

 
Walking down the Strand, and down some side streets, I arrived at the final stop, 'The Sherlock Holmes Public House', where I memorably celebrated my fortieth birthday. Here I listened to the final part of the story, set back at Baker Street  (the pub has a recreation of the 221b study). Opposite was the site of Scotland Yard in Holmes' time.
 

"In half an hour we were back in the sitting-room at Baker Street."

So what was the final verdict ? - Some liberties taken with locations and the text, missed Sherlockian sites, and worse of all, Watsonian narration in a female voice. Maybe best suited to someone with less Sherlockian knowledge than myself.

[All quotations are from 'The Blue Carbuncle']