Sherlock's Home - Portsmouth Then and Now

New Project!

In July 2025, Portsmouth City Council's Conan Doyle Collection received National Lottery Project Grant from the Arts Council for Sherlock's Home - Portsmouth Then and Now.

This project will examine Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's time in Portsmouth through the archives and books, looking at Victorian Portsmouth and London and how they compare to now.

The themes are:

• Attitudes to Imperialism in Victorian Britain
• Comparing Doyle and other Victorian authors and their relationships e.g. Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde
• The comparisons between Victorian London and Portsmouth - rich v poor, overcrowding and sanitation
• Comparison of Victorian and contemporary writing
• Increased travel options in Victorian Britain, magazines (Tit Bits and The Strand) give first hand evidence to social standing and education of this time
• Create their own creative response to these

We will be working with community groups to develop mini exhibitions, podcasts and creative responses to the Conan Doyle Collection, detailing the themes above. We are looking for a freelance curator to help us with these efforts. Please carefully read our brief here before submission, which closes 5th September 2025.