THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SOCIETY OF LONDON
Founded as The Sherlock Holmes Society in 1934
A CAPITAL RETURN!
The London Mini-Festival Weekend
Thursday 14th to Sunday 17th May 2015
The Society is continuing its tradition of putting on a weekend of Sherlockian events in
London. All members and their guests are cordially invited – we hope you will find
something of interest. As always, we have done our best to keep costs to a minimum.
Inevitably London, like all capital cities, is expensive. It is, however, where Holmes and
Watson lived and worked and there is, therefore, absolutely nowhere like it!
Applications for the various events must be received by Thursday 7th May at the latest,
together with the appropriate remittance, where applicable. As numbers are limited for
the Tour of the BBC, applications are requested if at all possible by 30th April. All
prices quoted are per person. We regret the numbers for some events are limited and will
be on a first come, first served basis, so please apply early. Where a meal is specified, a
vegetarian or fish alternative can be provided, provided they are ordered in advance. All
prices are inclusive of room hire, service and VAT. All drinks are on a cash basis and
must be paid for individually at the time. Dress at Society functions is usually smartcasual. In particular at the events at London clubs, gentlemen are asked to wear jackets
and ties – trainers are definitely not allowed. This is a common requirement in London
clubs and we have to abide by it.
PROGRAMME
Thursday 14th May 2015 Evening
Annual General Meeting
The Society’s AGM will be held at The Savage Club, housed in the premises of the
National Liberal Club at 1, Whitehall Place, London, SW1, at 6.00 for 6.45pm. The
National Liberal Club is located on the corner of Whitehall Place and the Victoria
Embankment, not far from Embankment Underground Station, and also conveniently
placed for Charing Cross main line station. It is usually possible to find a parking space
in the vicinity at this time in the evening – although you may have to pay the congestion
charge. http://www.savageclub.com/
Members and their guests may opt to attend the meeting only at no charge, or to dine
beforehand at a cost of £42.50 per head. This includes VAT and service but not drinks,
which must be paid for on the day. For those who choose to dine, the meal will comprise
Roast Duck with Sage & Onion Stuffing and Apple Sauce followed by White Chocolate,
Bourbon and Raspberry Cheesecake, Coffee and Mints. A vegetarian or fish alternative
main course may be ordered in advance – please specify if you want this on the
application form.
A cash bar will be open either in the Savage Club Room on the ground floor or in the
Smoking Room on the first floor 6.00pm. After the meeting, members may use the
National Liberal Club bar. Dinner will be served promptly at 6.45pm in the David Lloyd
George Room on the first floor and will be followed by the AGM, from around 8pm. We
anticipate that the meeting will finish around 9.45pm, though many members stay on to
chat.
After the formal business of the evening we present another first for the Society: a panel
game entitled ELIMINATE THE IMPOSSIBLE - THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH.
Eminent Society members take part in a Holmesian version of the popular Radio 4 game
The Unbelievable Truth Players will each have been given a subject on which they have
written a short and witty lecture – which must be all lies, apart from five truths which
they shall attempt to smuggle past their opponents. Each player scores between 1 and 5
points depending on how many truths he/she successfully gets past the others. During
each lecture, players score points if truths are correctly spotted – and lost if they are in
error. The winner is the person who has scored the most points at the end of the
hilarious contest.
Nothing could be clearer. The lecture subjects will be suitably Canonical, or connected
in other ways to the worlds of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle. Roger
Johnson and Nick Utechin will be in the Chair(s) and will be regarded as Judge and Jury
on all contentious matters!
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Meet at the Savage Club, 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1 from 6pm onwards:
nearest tube Embankment
Charge for those opting to dine beforehand: £42.50 US$85.00
There is no charge for attending just the AGM and The Unbelievable Truth
Friday 15th May 2015 Afternoon
“It was my old housekeeper who heard of it first by that strange wireless by which
such people collect the news of the countryside.”
A Society visit to Broadcasting House the home of the BBC
The first radio broadcast was made on 15 March 1932 and the building was officially
opened two months later, on 15 May which means that our visit will be on its eighty third
anniversary. The main building is in Art Deco style, with a facing of Portland stone over
a steel frame. It is a Grade II* listed building and includes the BBC Radio Theatre,
where music and special programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience. In June
2013 Her Majesty the Queen officially opened a major new extension to Broadcasting
House, The John Peel Wing, which has provided a spacious and modern broadcast centre
with state of the art technology for all BBC journalism.
The BBC Radio Theatre has a particular reference to followers of The Great Detective as
the venue for many of the iconic recordings of canonical stories. In the 1940s and 1950s
the BBC broadcast the finest radio productions of the canon with Sir John Gielgud and
Sir Ralph Richardson as Holmes and Watson and then Carleton Hobbs and Norman
Shelley followed with their equally memorable interpretations.
We have two tours booked - one at 1.30pm and the second one at 1.45pm. We may,
depending on numbers, tour the building together in one group. Please express a
preference for which tour, but we reserve the right to allocate people as necessary to
ensure groups of the correct size. The tours last for approximately one and a half hours.
Please arrive fifteen minutes before the start of your tour to allow for security checks.
These take place outside the Media Café, which is located inside New Broadcasting
House (please note it is not the café on the piazza). All tours start promptly from the
Media Café off Main Reception; we cannot guarantee late entry.
The Tour is a walking tour and covers a fair distance. It will last about 90 minutes. If you
are a wheelchair user please let us know as it has to be pre-booked. Security is
understandably strict at Broadcasting House and we are asked not to bring large bags or
sharp or pointed items. Photography is restricted and long-lensed cameras are not
allowed. There will be several photo opportunities and our guides will point them out
during the tour.
BBC Broadcasting House is in Portland Place, London W1A 1AA. Portland Place is just
north of Oxford Circus and can be reached by walking north from Oxford Circus on
Regent Street. The nearest tube stations are Oxford Circus on the Central, Bakerloo and
Victoria Lines and Regent’s Park on the Bakerloo Line. Please use the entrance on
Portland Place, along the left-hand side of the building, about 100 yards past the main
entrance. There is usually a placard outside stating entrance for 'Shows and Tours.' Once
you have entered the Media Café please go to the Tours desk on the right-hand side.
Your guides will be at the desk 15 minutes before the start time of the tour.
Numbers will be strictly limited to 50 members and guests in two parties of 25; early
booking is advised.
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Meet at 1.15pm or 1.30pm for tour at the Tours desk; nearest tube Oxford
Circus or Regent’s Park.
Charge - £18.50/ US$37.00 per person.
Friday 15th May 2015 Late Afternoon
Bert Coules - Sherlock Holmes for BBC Radio
Following the tours, we are delighted to announce that Bert Coules will be presenting a
talk on the history of Holmes and Watson on BBC Radio. Bert was head writer for the
complete BBC Radio 4 Canon project starring Clive Merrison and Michael Williams
(1989-98) and then sole writer for The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (200210). Bert has recently hugely revised and expanded his original memoir for a new
edition (221 BBC –Writing for the World’s Only Complete Dramatised Canon and
Beyond (with Some Observations upon Previous Radio Appearances of Mr Sherlock
Holmes & Dr John Watson, Gasogene Books, Indianapolis 2014, $22.95).
As well as talking about the various series with which he is so famously attached, Bert
will discuss how attitudes to the characters and stories have evolved on BBC Radio over
the years, exploring along the way the development of radio drama in general and the
particular art of writing for a genre with no visuals. There will be audio clips of classic
Holmesian wireless performances down the years. After his talk, Bert will be happy to
take questions.
This will be a rare opportunity to engage with the head writer for one of the most famous
ever series in any medium involving Sherlock Holmes. Roger Johnson will chair the
event.
Priority booking for this event will be given to those who will just have taken part in the
tours of Broadcasting House.
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Meet at 3.45pm at The Yorkshire Grey, 46 Langham Street, Marylebone,
London, W1W 7AX (two minutes’ walk from Broadcasting House)
Charge - Free. A cash bar will run throughout the meeting; coffee will be
available
Please note numbers are limited to 50
Saturday 16th May 2015 Daytime
Dr Watson: A Study in UCL
In the year 1878 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University of London…
The University of London is a many-headed beast, but University College London seems
a likely candidate to count Watson amongst its alumni. Join us for an afternoon in
Bloomsbury to discuss why. Tea, coffee and some sweet refreshments will be provided.
The event is expected to finish around 4pm.
With special thanks to curators Nicholas Booth and Subhadra Das, we have an
opportunity to spend the afternoon at UCL’s Gower Street campus, exploring the
Watsonian connection. Nicholas and Subhadra will display items from UCL’s
collections, including anatomical specimens used for teaching in the late 19th century, and
highlights from the Galton Collection (some of which was used recently as part of the
Sherlock Holmes exhibition at the Museum of London). There will also be opportunities
to visit UCL’s museums, and no visit would be complete without paying homage to
Jeremy Bentham’s auto-icon. For an overview of UCL’s museums and collections, visit
their website: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums
Three speakers will be guiding us through the afternoon, discussing why UCL is likely to
be Watson’s alma mater, describing what it would have been like to study there in 1878,
and contemplating the connections between medical dissection and criminal
investigation:
Catherine Cooke is a librarian and former student of University College, London. She is
Joint Honorary Secretary of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, manages the
Sherlock Holmes Collection of Westminster Libraries and writes regularly for the
Sherlockian press. She won the BSI's Morley-Montgomery Award for 2005.
Dr Alan Bates has been Honorary Senior Lecturer in Pathology at UCL since 2003. His
research is principally focused on the ways in which anatomy and embryology have been
presented to medical and non-medical audiences in printed works and through the use of
models and preserved specimens. He is currently working on a book on the work of
nineteenth-century anatomist Robert Knox.
EJ Wagner is an American crime historian and author of the Edgar winning The Science
of Sherlock Holmes. Her work has been published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine,
The New York Times, The Lancet, and Smithsonian, among others.
She was organizer
and moderator of the Forensic Forum at Stony Brook University in the USA. She served
as consultant in forensic history for the traveling Museum exhibit “Sherlock Holmes: The
International Exhibit” Her website is http://www.ejwagner-crimehistorian.com/
and
her blog https://ejdissectingroom.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/history-homicideUCL’s main entrance is situated on Gower Street, within easy walking distance of several
tube stations including Euston Square, Warren Street and Goodge Street. Please arrive at
the Haldane Room for a 1pm start. Here is a map to the Haldane Room
http://crf.casa.ucl.ac.uk/printRoute.aspx?s=15&d=187&w=False
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Meet for 1.00pm at the Haldane Room, University College London; nearest tube
Euston Square, Warren Street and Goodge Street.
Charge - £10.00/ US$20.00
If you have time to spend in Bloomsbury around the meeting, there are plenty of other
things to see and do in the vicinity of UCL.
 Visit the Wellcome Collection on the Euston Road to explore their new exhibition
Forensics: The anatomy of crime http://wellcomecollection.org/forensics
 Have brunch at Sherlock’s 221B, which is actually Speedy’s Sandwich Bar and
Cafe, 187 North Gower Street (open 7.30am-1.30pm on Saturdays)
http://www.speedyscafe.co.uk/
 At the British Library near St Pancras, you can muse over the Magna Carta: see
what the British government was like long before Mycroft took over
http://www.bl.uk/magna-carta
Sunday 17th May 2015 Daytime
London Monopoly
Join us for a treasure hunt!
Suitable for everyone, families welcome!
For the final day of our 2015 May weekend, the Society has arranged an exclusive game
of Monopoly around Sherlock Holmes' London. Participate as teams of 2-3 adults (or 2
adults and 2-3 children). We will make sure everyone is matched up into a team on the
day, so individuals are more than welcome to come along. Visit the real locations of the
Monopoly board, almost all of which have a connection to the Sherlock Holmes stories.
At each you will have to solve a clue, and use your skill to choose carefully which sites to
visit in the time allowed. Using your powers of observation and business acumen, collect
properties and increase your income, while, of course, avoiding Jail!
The game begins at the Goats Club, at the International Students House at 229 Great
Portland Street, London, W1W 5PN where we meet at 11.30am for coffee/tea, a pastry
(included in the charge) and a briefing. The nearest station is Great Portland Street.
Indeed, it is right opposite. If you miss the briefing you will not get the pack with the
questions and will be unable to take part, so please be on time. The event will last around
5 hours, finishing by 5pm at Wetherspoons at Baker Street Station, where prizes will be
awarded. Exhausted participants will be able to purchase refreshments.
Lunch is not included, so make your own arrangements as your time permits. A
travelcard or oyster card will be needed, but all destinations are within zones 1 and 2. A
pair of comfortable shoes and an umbrella would be advisable.
Each team will receive a copy of A Sherlock Holmes Monopoly Guide (RRP £18.99),
published by The Irregular Special Press. Extra copies can be pre-ordered at £15 each;
they will not otherwise be available at the event. Anybody who cannot attend but would
like the book can get a 10% discount online at baker-street-studios.com by quoting code
MONO10, valid until 1/7/15
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Meet at 11.30am at International Students House at 229 Great Portland Street
Charge - £20.00/US$40.00 adults; £4.00/$8.00 children
DIARY 2015 - 2016
DIARY 2015
21st June
12th – 13th September
23rd October
26th or 27th November
PG Wodehouse Society cricket match
Study Weekend – Professions in the Canon
The Richard Lancelyn Green Lecture
Film Evening (to be confirmed)
DIARY 2016
9th January
10th January
Annual Dinner
The Morning After
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SOCIETY OF LONDON
Founded as The Sherlock Holmes Society in 1934
To:
Miss Catherine Cooke,
15, Copperfield Court,
146, Worple Road,
Wimbledon,
London, SW20 8QA.
A CAPITAL RETURN!
Please delete or specify as applicable
TOTAL
Thursday 14 May AGM – The Unbelievable Truth
I / We should like to attend the AGM and dine beforehand with ….. guests
I / We would like to order ….. fish / vegetarian meals (please delete or
specify as applicable)
I/We have a special dietary requirement as follows………………………..
£/$
Charge: £42.50
US$85.00 for those opting to dine beforehand.
NAME(S)………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………......
I / We should like to attend the AGM and meeting only with ….. guests
NAME(S)…………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………..
Friday 15 May
Tour of BBC Broadcasting House
I / We should like to attend the tour with ….. guests
£/$
I / We should prefer the tour at 1.30pm / 1.45pm (please delete as
applicable)
Charge: £18.50
US$37.00
NAME(S) …………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………..
Friday 15 May
Bert Coules - Sherlock Holmes for BBC Radio
I / We should like to attend the talk with ….. guests
NAME(S) …………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………..
£/$
£/$
Saturday 16 May Dr. Watson and Galton
I / We should like to attend visit with ….. guests
Charge: £10.00
US$20.00
NAME(S) ........................................………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………..
Sunday 17 May
London Monopoly
£/$
I / We should like join the Monopoly Game with ….. adults ..... children
Charge: £20.00/US$40.00 per adult, £4.00 per child
NAME(S)…………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………
I should like ..... extra copies of A Sherlock Holmes Monopoly Guide
£15/US$30.00
£/$
TOTAL PAYMENT
£ / $ ………..
I enclose the appropriate remittance payable to The Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
As numbers at some events are limited, please provide contact details, so we can let you
know if your application for any event has been unsuccessful.
E-mail address, telephone number or postal address:
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Please print or write clearly - especially if giving an e-mail address as these can so easily
be misread!
c.cooke@dsl.pipex.com