The Fictional and Real Address

Introduction

221B Baker Street is one of the most famous addresses in world literature, serving as the fictional London residence of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson in the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the late 19th century, however, no such address actually existed on Baker Street. Doyle chose the number and location to evoke the respectability and middle-class character of Marylebone, but his choice unintentionally created one of the most enduring intersections of fiction and geography.

Baker Street in the 19th Century

When A Study in Scarlet was published in 1887, Baker Street was a relatively long and fashionable residential street in the Marylebone district of London. At the time, the street numbers did not extend as high as 221. The properties only reached up into the low 100s, meaning “221B” was a non-existent address when Conan Doyle began writing.

Over time, as London expanded and Baker Street was renumbered, the address range eventually did include numbers beyond 221. This gave rise to disputes and debates about which building might be considered Holmes’s “real” residence.

The Abbey National Controversy

By the 1930s, the Abbey National Building Society occupied 219–229 Baker Street. As a result, Abbey National began receiving thousands of letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street. For decades, a secretary at Abbey National was unofficially assigned to respond to such correspondence, politely acknowledging the fictional nature of the detective while thanking writers for their interest.

This practice continued until 2002, when Abbey National vacated the premises. During this time, the company resisted external claims to the “221B” address, arguing that mail should rightly be delivered to the building society’s offices rather than to outside organisations.

The “221B” Debate

Today, the Sherlock Holmes Museum, located at 239 Baker Street, claims the address “221B.” However, this does not reflect the actual postal history or numbering of the street. The museum successfully petitioned the City of Westminster to assign it the “221B” designation for display purposes, but technically the property sits at 239.

This has created tension between factual history and touristic presentation. Scholars, historians, and fans often distinguish between the fictional 221B created by Conan Doyle, the Abbey National period when mail was received at the real 221–229 block, and the modern tourist appropriation of the number at a different location.

Cultural and Historical Significance

Regardless of the physical property in question, 221B Baker Street has entered the global imagination as a symbolic space rather than a fixed address. It represents the archetype of the detective’s study: cluttered with chemical experiments, case notes, disguises, and Watson’s journals.

In the real city of London, however, the history of Baker Street is a story of renumbering, commercial development, and competing claims over one of fiction’s most recognisable numbers. Unlike literary landmarks such as Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, 221B is not tied to a historically authentic residence but instead occupies a liminal zone between map and imagination.