Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The literary heritage of Portsmouth is inspiring, it was the birthplace of Charles Dickens, the childhood home of Rudyard Kipling, the workplace of HG Wells and the city where Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his first Sherlock Holmes novel.

Portsmouth City Museum are playing tribute to Arthur Conan Doyle with the most extraordinary collection of material about one man to be found anywhere. The exhibit is the product of a life’s work, gathering together items such as every edition of every work that Conan Doyle ever wrote. Housed in a newly refurbished and specially designed gallery the new display includes 40,000 objects and artefacts on the world’s most famous fictional detective, it is hard to imagine a more fitting location for the unique items of this un-paralleled collection.

The exhibit will establish Portsmouth as the key centre for Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes studies in the UK and internationally and is expecting a total of 15,000 visitors in its first year.

"It’s truly fitting that Richard’s life work should go to Portsmouth. Conan Doyle wrote the first two Sherlock Holmes stories there, so in some ways his work is going home. Richard would have been very pleased that Portsmouth is the final resting place for his eclectic and amazing collection."

Scirard Lancelyn Green
Richard’s brother