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Where Was 221B?
by Jens Byskov Jensen
221B, Baker Street, was the address of Mr. Sherlock Holmes when he was sharing rooms with Dr. Watson in London. However, there were no such number as '221' in Baker Street at that time. The street was a lot shorter back then. It had it's starting point at Portman Square and from here it went north until the crossing of Crawford Street and Paddington Street. From this point and north-wards up to Marylbone Road the street was called York Place. And north of Marylbone Road it was Upper Baker Street. On the 1st of January 1921, York Place was incorporated with Baker Street and in 1930 Upper Baker Street joined the rest. Now, for the first time, there was one united Baker Street from Portman Square to Regent's Park, and the number 221 appeared. But obviously this newborn address could have had nothing to do with Mr. Holmes rooms fifty years earlier. The number of houses in Holmes's Baker Street ran from no. 1 to no. 85, with separate houses representing nos. 8 & 8A, 15 & 15A, and 65 & 65A.
York Place, ca. 1900 - Baker Street looked much the same.
This layout of Baker Street was the one which Sherlock Holmes knew when he lived there. And so, as there was no '221', we have to look for Holmes's real home somewhere else. A lot of details in the stories told by Dr. Watson can help us to prove where Holmes really lived. There are certain things which must be present at the address. 221B must have a back yard large enough for growing a tree. And in the same area as 221B theremust be a house on the other side of the street, with a back yard which can be entered through a wooden gate, with a hall inside on the south side of the house so that you can walk to the right on entering the front room if you walk from the back of the house, and with no street lamp near the front windows. A house such as this will be recognized as The Empty House from the story of the same name. And across the street from this house was 221B.
In trying to locate Holmes's 221B in Baker Street, the hardest thing to match is the back yard. We know that Holmes lived on the west side of Baker Street, and at the time there were only a couple of houses here which had back yards. And the only one of these which was large enough to be suitable for our purpose is the yard behind no. 31. At an older map dating from 1872 five spacious yards can be seen behind nos. 19-35, but by 1894 they had been reduced to only one yard and a couple of air-shafts. The story in which Dr. Watson mention a plane tree in the back yard is The Problem of Thor Bridge which dates from around 1900. The remaining yard behind no. 31 was 15 feet x 12 feet, which should leave room enough for a reasonable plane tree. And since it was the only remaining yard as large as this left in Baker Street not much doubt can be left. Therefore it is not very surprising that no. 34, across the street from no. 31, matches the description of The Empty House brilliantly. No. 34 can be reached from the rear via Kendall Mews, it's front door is on the south side of the house and thus the hall is on the same side, and the nearest street lamp is about 40 feet away - far enogh to shed nothing but a faint light. Therefore the most probable answer to the question "Where was 221B?" is that Holmes's 221B was house no. 31 and The Empty House was no. 34.
The Lamp Maker in the Missing No. 43
The following is a taste of Jens Byskov Jensen's book "Baker Street - once again!" which will be published in December 2002, and will be available for purchase from the Merchandise section. The book will include several illustrations made from 1880-1910 photos of Baker Street, and a large fold out map of 1900 Baker Street, which perhaps will be one of the most detailed maps till date. The book will be printed on high quality paper in a limited amount, as it will appear as a Christmas Publication from the book printers Baskerville & Co. Vejle, Denmark.
"In order to find '221b' we had better start by getting the numbers right.When the outline of Baker Street changed in 1921 and 1930 the numbers of the houses changed with it. Before 1921 the numbers ran from the east side of Portman Square with no. 1, 2, 3, 4 ... and onwards up to Paddington Street where it crossed the road and placed no. 44 at the corner of Crawford Street and Baker Street. Then downwards no. 44, 45, 46 ... on the west side of Baker Street.
The long-famed works of Mr. William S. Baring-Gould, The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, and I am about to say "Good Old Index", tells us about the numbering in quoting Mr. Michael Harrison from his book 'Why 221B?': "The east side ... ran from No. 1, at the corner of Lower Berkely (now Fitzhardinge) Street, to No. 42. ... The street numbers ran consecutively. On the opposite side of the road - the west side - the numbers ran, without a break, from No. 44 ... at the corner of Crawford Street, to No. 85, which was the building immediately before the big Georgian house at the corner of Portman Square (No. 1 Portman Square)." And Baring-Gould ends by concluding: "The numbers in Baker Street proper ended, then, at 85, and there was no No. 43, Baker Street."
But someone must have made a miscalculation somewhere, because no. 43 was there! In 1900 there lived a lamp maker by the name of Richard Evens at no. 43 at the corner of Baker Street and Paddington Street - and I am sure he would not have liked to be left out of this interesting history. I have in my possession a copy from the Post Office London, Street Directory, 1900. And here are listed all numbers of Baker Street and their inhabitants at the time. It is indeed very interesting reading and it does prove the existence of the Missing No. 43.
However, the Street Directory also gives us a good clue to the reasons of miscalculation which led to think that no. 43 had disappeared. The funny thing is that there is both a 'no. 8' and a 'no. 8a' as an individual number, as well as the numbers 15 - 15a, and 65 - 65a. The English have a lovely irregular way of doing things - I am sure that is why we love them so much! And this must be what sent the calculators into the woods.
So, on the east side, north-wards, Baker Street started Pre-1921 at no. 1 at the corner of Lower Berkeley Street and Baker Street. There were five house numbers before it reached Baker's Mews. Between Baker's Mews and Robert Adam Street were nos. 6 - 7. Between Robert Adam Street and George Street was Portman Chapel and no. 8. George Street to Blandford Street nos 8a - 15a (!). Blandford Street to Dorset street nos. 16 - 32. Dorset Street to Paddington nos. 33 - 43. Across the road to the west side, south-wards, Crawford Street to Dorset Street nos. 44 - 53. Dorset Street to King Street nos. 54 - 69 (including no. 65a!). King Street to George Street nos. 70 - 78. And finally George Street to Portman Square nos. 79 - 85. But King Street to George Street provide us with a small problem. The famouse Holmesian map of Mr. Bernard H. Davies, which is based on the Ordnance Survey 5 foot Plans, Sheet VII/51, shows that there are ten houses between King Street and George Street, and only nine house numbers to match it. However, Mr. Davies already has the answer at hand as the tenth house (right after no. 78) was a Public House and was not numbered."
Jens Byskov Jensen´s suggestion of
221b Baker Street - alias no. 72 in Holmes' day
http://sherlock-holmes.hypermart.net/221b.html
by Jens Byskov Jensen
221B, Baker Street, was the address of Mr. Sherlock Holmes when he was sharing rooms with Dr. Watson in London. However, there were no such number as '221' in Baker Street at that time. The street was a lot shorter back then. It had it's starting point at Portman Square and from here it went north until the crossing of Crawford Street and Paddington Street. From this point and north-wards up to Marylbone Road the street was called York Place. And north of Marylbone Road it was Upper Baker Street. On the 1st of January 1921, York Place was incorporated with Baker Street and in 1930 Upper Baker Street joined the rest. Now, for the first time, there was one united Baker Street from Portman Square to Regent's Park, and the number 221 appeared. But obviously this newborn address could have had nothing to do with Mr. Holmes rooms fifty years earlier. The number of houses in Holmes's Baker Street ran from no. 1 to no. 85, with separate houses representing nos. 8 & 8A, 15 & 15A, and 65 & 65A.
York Place, ca. 1900 - Baker Street looked much the same.
This layout of Baker Street was the one which Sherlock Holmes knew when he lived there. And so, as there was no '221', we have to look for Holmes's real home somewhere else. A lot of details in the stories told by Dr. Watson can help us to prove where Holmes really lived. There are certain things which must be present at the address. 221B must have a back yard large enough for growing a tree. And in the same area as 221B theremust be a house on the other side of the street, with a back yard which can be entered through a wooden gate, with a hall inside on the south side of the house so that you can walk to the right on entering the front room if you walk from the back of the house, and with no street lamp near the front windows. A house such as this will be recognized as The Empty House from the story of the same name. And across the street from this house was 221B.
In trying to locate Holmes's 221B in Baker Street, the hardest thing to match is the back yard. We know that Holmes lived on the west side of Baker Street, and at the time there were only a couple of houses here which had back yards. And the only one of these which was large enough to be suitable for our purpose is the yard behind no. 31. At an older map dating from 1872 five spacious yards can be seen behind nos. 19-35, but by 1894 they had been reduced to only one yard and a couple of air-shafts. The story in which Dr. Watson mention a plane tree in the back yard is The Problem of Thor Bridge which dates from around 1900. The remaining yard behind no. 31 was 15 feet x 12 feet, which should leave room enough for a reasonable plane tree. And since it was the only remaining yard as large as this left in Baker Street not much doubt can be left. Therefore it is not very surprising that no. 34, across the street from no. 31, matches the description of The Empty House brilliantly. No. 34 can be reached from the rear via Kendall Mews, it's front door is on the south side of the house and thus the hall is on the same side, and the nearest street lamp is about 40 feet away - far enogh to shed nothing but a faint light. Therefore the most probable answer to the question "Where was 221B?" is that Holmes's 221B was house no. 31 and The Empty House was no. 34.
The Lamp Maker in the Missing No. 43
The following is a taste of Jens Byskov Jensen's book "Baker Street - once again!" which will be published in December 2002, and will be available for purchase from the Merchandise section. The book will include several illustrations made from 1880-1910 photos of Baker Street, and a large fold out map of 1900 Baker Street, which perhaps will be one of the most detailed maps till date. The book will be printed on high quality paper in a limited amount, as it will appear as a Christmas Publication from the book printers Baskerville & Co. Vejle, Denmark.
"In order to find '221b' we had better start by getting the numbers right.When the outline of Baker Street changed in 1921 and 1930 the numbers of the houses changed with it. Before 1921 the numbers ran from the east side of Portman Square with no. 1, 2, 3, 4 ... and onwards up to Paddington Street where it crossed the road and placed no. 44 at the corner of Crawford Street and Baker Street. Then downwards no. 44, 45, 46 ... on the west side of Baker Street.
The long-famed works of Mr. William S. Baring-Gould, The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, and I am about to say "Good Old Index", tells us about the numbering in quoting Mr. Michael Harrison from his book 'Why 221B?': "The east side ... ran from No. 1, at the corner of Lower Berkely (now Fitzhardinge) Street, to No. 42. ... The street numbers ran consecutively. On the opposite side of the road - the west side - the numbers ran, without a break, from No. 44 ... at the corner of Crawford Street, to No. 85, which was the building immediately before the big Georgian house at the corner of Portman Square (No. 1 Portman Square)." And Baring-Gould ends by concluding: "The numbers in Baker Street proper ended, then, at 85, and there was no No. 43, Baker Street."
But someone must have made a miscalculation somewhere, because no. 43 was there! In 1900 there lived a lamp maker by the name of Richard Evens at no. 43 at the corner of Baker Street and Paddington Street - and I am sure he would not have liked to be left out of this interesting history. I have in my possession a copy from the Post Office London, Street Directory, 1900. And here are listed all numbers of Baker Street and their inhabitants at the time. It is indeed very interesting reading and it does prove the existence of the Missing No. 43.
However, the Street Directory also gives us a good clue to the reasons of miscalculation which led to think that no. 43 had disappeared. The funny thing is that there is both a 'no. 8' and a 'no. 8a' as an individual number, as well as the numbers 15 - 15a, and 65 - 65a. The English have a lovely irregular way of doing things - I am sure that is why we love them so much! And this must be what sent the calculators into the woods.
So, on the east side, north-wards, Baker Street started Pre-1921 at no. 1 at the corner of Lower Berkeley Street and Baker Street. There were five house numbers before it reached Baker's Mews. Between Baker's Mews and Robert Adam Street were nos. 6 - 7. Between Robert Adam Street and George Street was Portman Chapel and no. 8. George Street to Blandford Street nos 8a - 15a (!). Blandford Street to Dorset street nos. 16 - 32. Dorset Street to Paddington nos. 33 - 43. Across the road to the west side, south-wards, Crawford Street to Dorset Street nos. 44 - 53. Dorset Street to King Street nos. 54 - 69 (including no. 65a!). King Street to George Street nos. 70 - 78. And finally George Street to Portman Square nos. 79 - 85. But King Street to George Street provide us with a small problem. The famouse Holmesian map of Mr. Bernard H. Davies, which is based on the Ordnance Survey 5 foot Plans, Sheet VII/51, shows that there are ten houses between King Street and George Street, and only nine house numbers to match it. However, Mr. Davies already has the answer at hand as the tenth house (right after no. 78) was a Public House and was not numbered."
Jens Byskov Jensen´s suggestion of
221b Baker Street - alias no. 72 in Holmes' day
http://sherlock-holmes.hypermart.net/221b.html
