When I was down in London for the Detection Club's annual dinner at the Dorchester, I took the opportunity to do some sight-seeing. One of the capital's great virtues is the wealth of tourist attractions that have real substance, and since I ceased to be a full-time lawyer, I've enjoyed filling in a few of the gaps in my knowledge by visiting a host of exhibitions. Last week, I made it to the British Library, the Transport Museum, the British Museum,and the Museum of London.
At the Museum of London, there is at present an exhibition featuring Scotland Yard's Crime Museum, sometimes known as "the Black Museum". Having much enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes exhibition at the same venue a year earlier, I resolved to take a look at the new exhibition, and I can say that I wasn't disappointed. There was a very good crowd that morning, and it was a reminder of the massive public interest in crime and criminals,
There were some fascinating items on display, including a good many associated with famous murder cases, including the Crippen case. It was the first time I'd ever seen the remnants of Crippen's pyjamas, which helped to convict him. There were also some quite shocking items on display, such as a pair of binoculars designed by a man to blind a former girlfriend.The exhibition also included a video in which various people discussed the ethics of displaying gruesome exhibits. I quite agree that the ethical questions deserve to be put, though I'm very much of the view that there is nothing wrong in holding such an exhibition. On the contrary. It was informative and educational as well as interesting.
I bought a book that accompanies the exhbition, The Crime Museum Uncovered, by Jackie Kelly and Julia Hoffbrand, though I haven't read it yet. It's profusely illustrated, and will be a useful reminder of the exhibition, though I'm not sure whether it contains much additional information, and the absence of an index is a shame. But I can unreservedly recommend the exhibition.
Showing posts with label Museum of London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Museum of London. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Monday, 10 November 2014
Sherlock Holmes at the Museum of London
In yet another reminder of the enduring, and seemingly eternal, appeal of Sherlock Holmes, the Museum of London is running an exhibition devoted to the great consulting detective. I was lucky enough to have an hour to spare in the capital the other day, and seized the chance to pay a visit. I'm glad I did. Like the other visitors who were there at the same time - and there were plenty of them; this is a popular show - I found much to enjoy.
Plenty of rare and precious items are on display, and I tremble to think what prices they would fetch if they ever came on to the market. We have, for instance, not only Conan Doyle's initial notes about Sherrinford Holmes and Ormond Sacker (in due course, the latter became Dr Watson) but also early illustrations for their stories, most notably by the legendary Sidney Paget. It's also wonderful to see that first manuscript, with the title A Tangled Skein crossed out. Conan Doyle opted for A Study in Scarlet instead.
There are numerous clips from film and TV, and I was glad to see moments from the Douglas Wilmer series that ran when I was a boy, as well as extracts featuring, among others, Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett and Peter Cushiing. I also loved an interview with Sir Arthur himself, filmed in 1927, just three years before he died, in which he discussed the genesis of the character, and what he was trying to do.
Inevitably, the Museum of London focuses heavily on the London background to the stories, and of course this plays an important part n their appeal. We see the cover of the original Strand magazine, of course, but also depictions of fog in the city, and much more besides. Although I'm an admirer of J.M.W. Turner, I had no idea that he'd painted The Reichenbach Falls, and I was really delighted to discover this in the exhibition too. There's not much (apart from mention of Poe) discussion of Sherlock's place in the genre as a whole, or the breadth of his influence. But this is a quibble from a genre fan. It's a fun exhibition, and I can recommend it.
My own enthusiasm for Sherlock has revived strongly in the past few years, and I'm contemplating writing a story featuring Professor Moriarty in the near future. I've been pleasantly surprised by the sales figures for my first original ebook, The New Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. The knowledge that plenty of readers out there want to devour more Sherlockian mysteries is encouraging me to write more of them myself. And if I needed a further nudge, this exhibition provided it.
Plenty of rare and precious items are on display, and I tremble to think what prices they would fetch if they ever came on to the market. We have, for instance, not only Conan Doyle's initial notes about Sherrinford Holmes and Ormond Sacker (in due course, the latter became Dr Watson) but also early illustrations for their stories, most notably by the legendary Sidney Paget. It's also wonderful to see that first manuscript, with the title A Tangled Skein crossed out. Conan Doyle opted for A Study in Scarlet instead.
There are numerous clips from film and TV, and I was glad to see moments from the Douglas Wilmer series that ran when I was a boy, as well as extracts featuring, among others, Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett and Peter Cushiing. I also loved an interview with Sir Arthur himself, filmed in 1927, just three years before he died, in which he discussed the genesis of the character, and what he was trying to do.
Inevitably, the Museum of London focuses heavily on the London background to the stories, and of course this plays an important part n their appeal. We see the cover of the original Strand magazine, of course, but also depictions of fog in the city, and much more besides. Although I'm an admirer of J.M.W. Turner, I had no idea that he'd painted The Reichenbach Falls, and I was really delighted to discover this in the exhibition too. There's not much (apart from mention of Poe) discussion of Sherlock's place in the genre as a whole, or the breadth of his influence. But this is a quibble from a genre fan. It's a fun exhibition, and I can recommend it.
My own enthusiasm for Sherlock has revived strongly in the past few years, and I'm contemplating writing a story featuring Professor Moriarty in the near future. I've been pleasantly surprised by the sales figures for my first original ebook, The New Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes. The knowledge that plenty of readers out there want to devour more Sherlockian mysteries is encouraging me to write more of them myself. And if I needed a further nudge, this exhibition provided it.
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