Sherlockian Sojourns #19.5: 'Re. Vampires'.

One of my favourite of the short stories, 'The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire', begins with most bizarre letter ever sent  (even Holmes states “For a mixture of the modern and the medieval, of the practical and of the wildly fanciful, I think this is surely the limit."). I reproduce it below:

46, OLD JEWRY,

Nov. 19th.

Re. Vampires

SIR:
Our client, Mr. Robert Ferguson, of Ferguson and Muirhead, tea brokers, of Mincing Lane, has made some enquiry from us in a communication of even date concerning vampires. As our firm specializes entirely upon the assessment of machinery the matter hardly comes within our purview, and we have therefore recommended Mr. Ferguson to call upon you and lay the matter before you. We have not forgotten your successful action in the case of Matilda Briggs.
We are, sir,

Faithfully yours,

MORRISON, MORRISON, AND DODD.

per E. J. C.

 

 

[The 'Matilda Briggs' being the ship associated with 'The Giant Rat of Sumatra' -  "a story for which the world is not yet prepared"]

However, it gives two London locations, which I decided to visit. Having spent the day touring filming locations, I made my way to Bank Underground Station and after a few minutes walk was at 'Old Jewry'. However, the street number proved to go up to only 35, so I took a photo of the most likely location for 'Morrison, Morrison and Dodd'.

 

 

I then retraced my steps past Bank, and passing the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange, (near where Hugh Boone plied his trade in 'The Adventure of the Man with the Twisted Lip') I made my way to Mincing Lane, arriving fifteen minutes later. In the late 19th century, Mincing Lane was the world's leading centre for tea and spice trading, so 'Ferguson and Muirhead' would have been in the heart of the trade at the time. However, all tea traders have since moved on, so I took a photo of the possible location of the firm part-owned by 'Big Bob Ferguson'.

 

 

At this point it began raining again, and so I beat a hasty retreat.