Thrilling: Sherlock Holmes tours in London
Before we embark on our own exploration of filming locations for Sherlock Holmes, let’s note that London offers a number of Sherlock Holmes-themed walking tours, some of which are free!
If following in the footsteps of this doyen of deductive reasoning sounds appealing, you can check out flights to London here!
Sherlock Holmes filming locations
221B Baker Street: The Sherlock Holmes Museum
The Sherlock Holmes Museum is in the detective’s former residence, which, according to the books, was a four-story Georgian-style townhouse at 221B Baker Street. Dating from 1815, the building served for decades as a boarding house prior to being opened as a museum in 1990. The interior features Victorian-era décor – as it would have been during Holmes’ time there – as well as an extensive gift shop with the world’s largest collection of Sherlock Holmes gifts and memorabilia. For more information, you can click here.
The Sherlock Holmes Museum is accessible via the London Underground (Baker Street station). You can also visit 187 North Gower Street, the filming location for the exterior of Holmes’ house in the Sherlock series.
Chinatown
An interesting location in the Sherlock series, as seen in the ‘The Blind Banker’ episode, is London’s Chinatown. Originally located in the East End, today’s Chinatown became established in the West End after the Second World War. This vibrant neighborhood is now home to dozens of restaurants and pubs, as well as shops offering traditional herbal remedies and other East Asian products. Several festivals are held in Chinatown each year and the area is a popular tourist destination.
Russell Square
If you’ve seen the first season of Sherlock, you may recall Russell Square and its lovely garden. Set in the Camden Borough, Russell Square and its gardens figure in many scenes with Holmes and Watson. One of London’s largest squares, Russel Square offers a peaceful oasis amid the city.
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum
In West Smithfield, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital is one of London’s oldest hospitals. Not only is it memorialized in Sherlock as the place where Holmes and Watson meet and where Molly Hooper works, it is also the location of the very real St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum. Although the Museum is currently closed for renovations, the building is still worth a visit for its magnificent architecture – just to note, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum is expected to reopen to visitors in 2025.
Landmark London Hotel and the Reunion
The posh Reunion Bar is where Watson goes after discovering that Sherlock is alive, but the Sherlock series uses only exterior shots of the 19th-century Clermont London Hotel. In the series, the Reunion’s stand-in for interior shots is the elegant art deco style Daffodil Cheltenham.
