Photo of the Study in Scarlet Exhibition

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Treasure of the Month - March 2016

On March 8th, 1886 Arthur Conan Doyle sat down at his doctor's practice in Southsea and began writing the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes. A Study in Scarlet was penned sometime between early March and April of that same year. Some scholars believe that the young doctor wrote the novel in just three weeks. 

Notes in one of Conan Doyle's notebooks reveal that the story was originally titled A Tangled Skein, Dr. John Watson was called Ormond Sacker of 221B Upper Baker Street and the great detective himself was to be known as Sherrinford Holmes. Although the world would not be introduced to its greatest fictional sleuth until December of 1887, Sherlock Holmes was actually born right here in Portsmouth, 130 years ago. Happy Birthday Sherlock, a true Pompey lad.