Baker Street Station Sherlock Holmes Murals

 

Baker street underground station where a mural of tiles shows Sherlock Holmes wearing a deerstalker hat, with a pipe. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Baker Street underground station, London, England. Behind the bench is a mural of a story from Sherlock Holmes. On the left of the mural is a silhouette of Sherlock Holmes wearing a deerstalker hat, and with his pipe. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

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Sherlock Holmes statue, Baker Street

 

Sherlock Holmes Statue, Baker Street. Photo by Angela Lansbury

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What is your favourite London station mural?

Charing Cross station platform mural. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Baker Street

 Other interesting and entertaining murals are at Baker Street, showing scenes connected with Sherlock Holmes short stories, and portraits of the hero in his famous deerstalker cap with the ear muffs. .

For views of another platform at Charing Cross station, see

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2024/04/charing-cross-station-decoration-murals.html

Colourful Tiles and Artistic Artwork To Admire on underground stations all over London, England

Southwark

Southwark underground station, London, England.

The pink and green - and blue - doesn't it arrest your attention! Isn't it delicious? For me its memories are sugary. I don't often relate to people who can translate pictures into sounds, or colours into tastes, but this bright pink seems to me almost edible.  The pink evokes delightful images of pink drinks. Sweet foods. Childhood. Parties. Birthdays. Days out. Fairgrounds. Like pink candy floss.

To me this design is both good and bad. Let's start with what is good. The colours are warm, wonderful, vivid, varied. 

But the rigid squares, stiff stripes? It could have had waves. Ovals. 

The upright stripes are like crowds of soldiers or commuters. It is a marching design. Hurrying on. Energetic.

Not soothing. Yet, I like it. Why?

Yes, on the whole, on second thoughts, on last thoughts, final decision, I like it. it is better than the old plain walls of so many public places. I like the bold colours. It looks easy to clean. It won't show the dirt like a white wall or any wall all one colour. It discourages graffiti.

You can see the colours from a distance. No challenge tao your knowledge of local history or national culture. No guessing the meaning of symbols. Just colour and simple shapes.  

The shapes are a bit of a mish-mash. Squares or diamonds, circles, stripes. Make up your mind, Mr or Mrs artist. Which is it, rigid straight lines or soothing circles? 

What about the patterns? Looks like a five year old picked the design from a book of patterns. Black and white stripes on day one. Diamonds on day two. Then circles.

Finally, when teacher or parents suggested add some colour, colour. Turn both squares and diamonds into colour. Random colours.

What are the colours? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue. Black and white. No pink or purple. (Nothing too flamboyant. Nor anything depressing, grey or brown, not colours of mould and or earthy dirt.) Nothing challenging. Something for everyone.

No detail. Never mind. This is a corridor. Can't have people stopp ing to inspect the detail, check the text. We want them to more on, along the corridor and up the escalator. 

Energize everybody. Get them off to work, or shopping, with enthusiasm. Give them the energy to get home after their tiring day.

Okay, that works.

Vauxhall Street.

I love colour. On murals. Anywhere. I prefer colour to boring black and white. But the black and white informative panels featuring historical and fictional characters also grab my attention. 

Usually I am hurrying past to a destination. On the way home I am tired and do not want to stop. But once in a while I have the time, the leisure and pleasure, to stand and stare, and photograph the murals.

My favourite design on the London underground is Sherlock Holmes on Baker Street. Simple, straightforward, one person featured, easy to understand and recognize. On one mural, tiny black silhouettes of Sherlock Holmes in his deerstalker hat make up the image of his pipe.

Baker Street underground railway station mural.

I was puzzled by the little Labyrinth on the wall at ground level near the entrance to Northwick Park station in North London. I asked the man serving at the kiosk, "Do you know what this little design means?" He simply shrugged and raised his hands in the air. "It's an artwork."

 Now I can explain it, to local people, or foreign visitors. I feel really pleased with myself. I am a guide, a teacher. I can write about it in my blog. I can put it on Pinterest. I can add it on Google maps.  

I only recently,  yesterday, discovered that the same artist has designed different labyrinths for stations all over London. The artist is Mark Wallinger.  Mark my words, his name is easy to remember. Mark the wall. Wall injured. Or, if you prefer a positive memory aid, wall enjoy. Or wall ingenius. Mark Willinger. Why bother to remember his name? Because you will see his little mazes on the walls of railway stations all over London, the station you depart from and the station you arrive at. 

For years I had walked past the little maze on the wall at Northwick Park station and wondered, what is that doing here? What has a maze got to do with this area? The answer is, nothing. The mazes are all over London. Each station has its own maze and each one is unique and charming.

Mark's Labyrinth at Heathrow. Picture from Wikimedia.

Useful Websites

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Labyrinth_(Art_on_the_Underground)#/media/File:Mark_Wallinger_Labyrinth_269_-_Heathrow_Terminals_1,_2,_3.

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/10/delightful-decorations-on-london.html

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Labyrinth_(Art_on_the_Underground)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10622805/Secrets-Victoria-Line-station-tiled-mura

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_on_the_Underground

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Perfect Pistachio Cake from Etna Coffee, Sicilian Street Food. (What is street food?)

Perfect Pistachio cake from Etna Coffee on Baker Street, London, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 Yes, those are pieces of pistachio on top of the cake. Crunch, crunch. Suck, suck. Lick, lick. Yum, yum.  Do you like baklava made with real nuts, not just, peanuts? Then you will probably love this crunchy, creamy cake just as much.

A few yards down Baker Street from Baker Street station is a fabulous little find. Etna coffee. I feel like Sherlock Holmes with his magnifying glass. I was given a piece of perfect pistachio cake by a relative who visited 'a Sicilian place in Baker Street'.

I said, "Go back. Get some more. Buy a case of it." 

I asked, "What is the name of the place? Do you have the receipt?"

No luck. So I looked on Google maps. I typed in Baker Street Sicilian Cafe. Up came a picture.

I found it. But could there be more than one? Could Baker Street be a Sicilian cafe centre? Could a man have opened up to spite or copy a successful rival? Could the brother or son or daughter have opened another two doors down.

He who knows looked at the picture. "yes, that's the one."

Well, I would never have guessed it was so special. Why would anybody want to call themselves street food? 

On the contrary, Indian restaurants call themselves names like big palace, Taj Mahal - palace, big  - the adjective comes after the noun.) 

Is it something to do with Baker Street?

Or Sicily? 

Or food you eat in the street?

No. Street food is ready to eat food. That suits me. I am always ready to eat. I looked them up online. The shop is run by two brothers.

On my next trip into central London I wanted to check them out. We took a bus from Baker Street station along Baker Street and passed the Etna Cafe too fast for me to photograph it. But I got to see it. A tiny place. One day I shall get back there. We took bus number 13 or 74. We took the bus towards Hard Rock Cafe and the hotels. On the way back the bus took a road parallel to Baker Street.

You may recall Mount Etna. It is an active volcano and erupts periodically on the East coast of Sicily. As a result of an eruption this century it grew 100 feet. Tourists go to see it. The area has a cable car.

You might discuss this or ponder the point while eating your cake from the Etna cafe. You might also think about Sicily as a tourist destination.

If you can't get there, you might consider tracking down the recipe. I looked at recipes for Sicilian pistachio cake, italian pistachio cake, pistachio cream cake and pistachio layer cake.

And if you are planning to go, you might check on the recipe in advance to be able to check with them on their ingredients and what makes their cake so special.

Etna Cafe

54 Baker Street

London W1U 7 BU

+44 20 7935 1600

Useful Websites

http://www.etnacoffee.net/

https://app.ckbk.com/recipe/heav81738c01s001ss003r029/sicilian-pistachio-cake

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pistachio_cake.png

https://lifemadesimplebakes.com/pistachio-layer-cake/

About the Author

Angela Lansbury was born and bred in Britain, and has lived in the USA and Singapore. Her family have worked in or lived in Spain and Switzerland. She is a member of Toastmasters Clubs meeting on Zoom with visitors from the UK and USA, India, Sri Lanka, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Through the Toastmasters mentoring program Angela has connected with individuals in Vietnam and Romania, a different connection each month. Please come to the next BHA Toastmasters meeting on the 3rd Saturday afternoon every month. 

Look At London - Baker Street, The Underground Station, and Sherlock Holmes

Baker Street station. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The Underground Symbol

The classic circular symbol of the underground, a red circle with a black border, and white central disc, a blue cross piece, and letter in white capital letters. You can see more at the London Transport Museum. London underground and individual stations have write ups of their own and entries in Wikipedia. 

The Sherlock Holmes Feature

Notice the tiled picture of Sherlock Holmes with his pipe and Scottish deerstalker hat. You can buy hats like this with brims which lift up and down. In the down position they cover the ears. 

The Sherlock Holmes Statue

Outside the station is a statue of Sherlock Holmes. A popular place for a selfie.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum

Across Baker street is the Sherlock Holmes Museum. You can visit the museum, or just the shop stocked with souvenirs and novelties.

Where to Find & Photograph London Stations' Art Deco Architecture, History and Mystery Murals and Statues - London's beautiful, fascinating Underground and overground railway stations

 

1 Charing Cross Station has several murals. You can see the portrait of Shakespeare. And several more historical characters.

2 Baker Street - for Sherlock Holmes in murals on the platforms. Also see his huge statue outside on the pavement. (Americans say sidewalk.)

Sherlock Holmes statue. Red London bus in the distance. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

3 Hyde Park Corner has sloping walk-in and walk out entrances which are lined with many the historic panels along the walkways.

Hyde Park Corner underground railway station, descending approach walkway. Photo by Angela Lansbury. 

 Once inside, you meet another internal corridor, going left and right, with more murals. The story of the battle of Trafalgar, and Waterloo. Learn about, and the queen who established the park. Queen C. 

Above Hyde Park Corner station is Number one, London, Apsley House, home of the Duke of Wellington, who won the battle of Waterloo. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Above Hyde Park Station, at ground level, you can see the outside of number one, London, home of the Duke of Wellington. Years ago I took a never forgotten guided tour of the house. We stopped by the giant statue of Napoleon in the hallway. Wellington had the statue made much larger than life. Wellington's intention was that when he saw Napoleon, the little Napoleon would seem much smaller and insignificant than previously imagined. 

On one of the panels you read reveals that Wellington admitted that Waterloo was a close-run victory. 

4 Leytonstone - Alfred Hitchcock memorials

A depiction of an Alfred Hitchcock film, in the station. The site of the place where he was born also has a mural.

Out in the suburbs:

5 Northwick Park - for the artwork on both sides of the stairs. As the trains enter and leave towards the centre of London, you see the floodlit Arch of Wembley stadium. Wembley Stadium, where the band Queen performed, as you can see on the biopic.

6 Rayners Lane, art deco exterior to admire as you walk or drive past. Opposite is another fine art deco building which has changed hands several times, becoming a religious centre, a gym. 

Some of the side streets have art deco houses, white with green tiled rooftops. Triple oblongs around the entrance door. Half semi-circle bay windows. Oblong windows.

Art deco house semi-detached suburban house in the Rayners Lane area. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Apologies for the poor quality. I took it late at night with a mobile phone from a moving car.

7 Hatch End - frequent winner of the best station for flowers. In the lobby is a bookcase for book swapping. On the platform going north to Watford is a plaque about the local walk.  You can look down on the platforms by walking along the main road from the station towards a large supermarket, the English Morrisons (on the other side of the road - with a pedestrian crossing if you want to go there).

Outside the station, parallel to the main high street called The Broadway, because it is so broad, the walk along Offa's Dyke takes you over a pedestrian bridge, looking down on the station from afar. It crosses the countryside and a big main road, leading alongside Grismdyke, once home of Gilbert of Gilbert & Sullivan operas. His former home, with a blue plaque, is a hotel and restaurant and they used to hold Gilbert and Sullivan operetta evenings.

Post being expanded - come back for more photos and stories shortly

Useful Websites

Wikipedia Tube stations art deco

About the author

Angela Lansbury is the author of 20 books including

Historic

Unforgettable British Weekends (travel)

Enquire Within Upon Travel And Holidays

Recent

Embarrassing Moments

See Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Lulu.com

Delightful Decorations On London Underground Stations: Sherlock Holmes, Baker Street, Sir Christpher Wren, St Paul's, Piccadilly Station

When you get off at London underground stations you are treated to some historical murals made with tiles. Even if you don't alight, you can admire the sights through the windows or from the open doorway as the train stops.

The decorations also remind you which station is which. Instead of reading a newspaper, given out free at stations - look for the stacks, when you are near your destination, you can keep an eye on the passing stations so that you don't go past your stop.

My favourites include:

Baker Street

Sherlock Holmes

The pictures of Sherlock Holmes with his deerstalker hat and pipe are made up of tiles with tiny images.

Charing Cross

Allow time to admire the Charing Cross tube station panels on the platform coming in from Finchley Road station. This is the station for Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. 

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

You can see: 

1 poet and playwright William Shakespeare, 

2 one or more of the six  wives of King Henry VIII who was father of equally famous Queen Elizabeth I, and 

3 Sir Christopher Wren who built St Paul's Cathedral and many more buildings all over London to replace what was lost after the great fire.

Sir Christopher Wren and St Pauls Cathedral. Image at station. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Piccadilly

Piccadilly underground 'tube' station. Tiles in red and green. Notice mind the gap written on the edge of the platform. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Useful Websites

Wikipedia

Transport for London

https://tfl.gov.uk/

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/social-media-and-email-updates/

Wikitravel

Wikivoyage

tripadvisor

About The Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please follow me and share links to your favourite posts.

Travelling Tips For Bulgaria - Magic Maps, Sofia's Metro, Taxis and Buses Out Of Sofia to Borovets, For Walking and Skiing

The Bulgarian flag is easy to recognise and remember. White for purity, green for the countryside, red for the history of blood shed to win independence.

Within Bulgaria, Sofia is in the west, the mountainous west, far from the beaches on the Black Sea, regarded by some Bulgarians as their Blackpool, downmarket beaches for the masses, Vana, Burgas and Sunny Beach. A place to be, if you like beaches, but not a place to see.

Sofia was more of a map-reading challenge, but we walked along the main road and kept asking.

Bulgaria's capital Sofia is relaxing. In the hot summer at weekends the locals leave for a long weekend at the seaside the sea breezes or the cooler mountains. Trams and trolley buses zoom quietly along what look like speacious uncrowded pedestrian streets. Watch out for the trolley buses which sneak up on you silently and keep looking both ways.

On our Free Tour of Sofia, a walking tour, we took the underpass via the entrance to one of the major central stations and saw the Roman remains below the city.

I had yearned to see the Metro, and achieved my aim unexpectedly.

Returning to the Sofia airport we wanted to hire a car but they did not recognize a Singapore driving license. We had to meet our walking tour group. So we took a local bus to the walking area of Borovets mountain - Borovets means pines, not from the central bus station but the station in the south.

Confession time. We asked the car hire company where to get the bus to Borovets. They said the central bus station. That sounded logical. We should have checked to be sure. But we didn't.

So we took the metro from the airport to the central bus station. The signs are in Bulgarian.


Airport is the end of the line and easy.



However the train has announcements in English. Sofia has only two train lines in 2019 (a third planned), so you can't go far wrong.

However, we went far wrong. When we reached the central bus station, we learned that the bus to Borovets goes from the South Bus station!

So we got a taxi back towards the airport we had left and onwards to the south bus station. That spent time and money.

The South bus station is tiny. A building with a bus stop in front.

Sofia's Metro
However, I had wanted to see the Metro which I had heard was brand new.




Sophia's Metro, Bulgaria.

 How did it compare with the metro in Singapore? Singapore also has at least one brand new line.

Singapore Flag

Singapore's Holland Village
Singapore's Holland Village MRT shows a  windmill.

Holland Village station plastform with picture of Dutch windmill. Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The Sofia metro has very pleasant pink marble slabs everywhere, underfoot, up the walls, across the ceiling. Soothing curved ceilings. But no excitement, no history, no pictures to help you to identify your destination station.

UK flag

No features such as giant murals distinguished one Sofia station from another, unlike London underground which is gradually being redecorated and rebuilt.

The London underground now has pictures of Sherlock Holmes on the Baker Street station platforms. Also historic pictures of famous figures from history and a map adorn the Charing Cross station platforms.

Charing Cross Station. Photograph by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.


You don't need to see the Sofia Metro. The walking tour of Sofia is just fine, all the fun you need. But you can take the metro from the airport to the walking tour starting point.

Useful websites for travellers
Flights
Cheap Flights to Bularia and around Europe and the UK
ryanair.com
Flight Comparisons
skyscanner.com

Maps
sofia.inyourpocket.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofia_Metro
https://freesofiatour.com/blog/guide-to-the-sofia-metro/

About the Author, Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Photo Contest On Tunnels - Artwork in Singapore; London, and stations worldwide

The three winning photos on the theme of tunnels are now on display not only at Newton MRT station in Singapore but also at Downtown station.

What more Art at Newton?

London's Tube
London, England, is all tunnels. That's why it is called The Tube. We also speak of tube trains, which is neatly alliterative.

Paddington station, London
From here you descend a staircase to the tube line.

The dimness of the tunnel at Baker Street station is relieved by the white tiles and the distraction of the attention grabbing evocative artwork showing Sherlock Holmes. The fictional detective, (based on a Scottish man) is shown with his pipe and deerstalker hat. 

Curves are always soothing. Notice here we have the London Underground symbol, red circle and white complete disc centre around the horizontal tube station name.

Useful Websites

Airline

singaporeair.com

Tourism

visitbritain.com

visitsingapore.com

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

I have many more posts on London and stations and singapore and stations you can see worldwide. Please bookmark and share links with your favourite family and friends.

Sherlock Holmes Hotel and Pub And Murder Mystery For You To Solve

Sherlock Holmes Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
After you've seen the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street, London and the nearby statue, where next?

Sherlock Holmes Hotel
The Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel is around the corner near Baker Street.
When I went there I didn't see anything on the theme but things have changed with new ownership. According to a reviewer in Tripadvisor the hotel has Sherlock Holmes key rings and other items on sale. One bedroom shows two giant pipes on the wall but in case you got the wrong idea a there's no smoking sign on the table.

The hotel organizes murder mystery events with a murder for you to solve. I went on a murder mystery weekend when they first started in England and wrote about it in my book, Unforgettable British Weekends.

I went on a second Murder Mystery Weekend in Wales when I was the surprise mystery guest. To my amazement, despite being mystified until the moment at the end when we were handed our Guess the Murderer form, I solved the murder. Process of elimination. So many characters. Cross out the ones who could not do all the murders it because they were murdered later. Finally I was left with three. Would anybody murder their next of kin?

It sounds a daft idea. But you can get into conversation at the dinner table or the corridor with strangers about this total fiction, so I found it rather jolly. And if you fancy yourself aas a Sherlock, a special event for you.

Sherlock Holmes Pub
The Sherlock Holmes pub near Charing Cross station has memorabilia downstairs at the bar and upstairs.

The Sherlock Holmes pub in London.

Photo by Jack1956.

Sherlock Holmes pub downstairs bar interior. Photo by Jack1956.


Sherlock Holmes pub exterior. Photo by Danny Choo.

Reconstruction of Holmes living room, upstairs in the Sherlock Holmes pub. Photo by Jack 1956.

Useful Websites For Your Sleuthing:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sherlock_Holmes

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Sherlock Holmes - where to find him? Elementary!

Problem
Where to find Sherlock Holmes?

Answers

This is where he lived.

Elementary my dear visitor to London.

1 On Baker Street station

Sherlock Holmes tiles on Baker Street Station, London, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.



Sherlock Homes story on Baker Street station, London, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

2 His statue outside the station on the Marylebone Road

Sherlock Statue. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

3 The Sherlock Holmes Museum, Baker Street
Queues form early at the weekend. If you don't have the time and money to visit the museum, you will enjoy the shop.

Off to Edinburgh, Scotland. to see the statue on Picardy Place, showing Holmes waring an Inverness cape. The author, Conan Doyle, was born in Edinburgh.

I was in London looking at the statue of Sherlock Holmes with a friend who comes from Venezuela. My friend asked, "Was Sherlock Holmes a real person?"

Useful Websites
visitlondon.com
visitengland.com
visitbritain.com
http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk (the museum)

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Harrow-on-the-Hill, Airbnb - quirky house, room with view of Harrow Spire

Harrow-on-the-Hill Church spire. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
It's always a pleasure to drive up to historic Harrow-on-the-Hill. But it has no hotels. Can you rely on airbnb? I've never stayed in one. I was visiting a friend's house for a club committee meeting, which happens regularly, every six weeks. The downstairs mezzanine toilet was occupied so I asked for another and was sent to the top of the house where I got to see the whole place for the first time.

What a delight. Different paintings and curios all over the place. A warren of rooms in a house built on the hillside.

I thought, what a shame that visitors to Harrow never get to see inside an old, quirkly place like this.

I said to my friend, Gill, "You ought to be on airbnb!"
She replied, "I am."

I looked. Sure enough, she is.

Harrow-On-the-Hill's modest house fronts hide a myriad of delights. So do the tiny shop fronts and restaurant windows. The buildings extend backwards, like Alice in Wonderland's rabbit hole, opening up an entire world of weird wonders.

The Castle pub, on the corner, Harrow-on-the-Hill.

Historic Harrow-on-the-Hill school buildings in red brick.

The school's arched doorways and windows are restful and inviting, even on a rainy day.

What is Gill like? A fun lady and a forthright lady who has knowledge and opinions on every subject.

The Church And Spire
From a tourist's point of view, the most amazing thing is the house. The room they rent out has a view of the famous Harrow-on-the Hill church spire.

If you don't get to Harrow-on-the-Hill and don't get to Gill's, you can also see the spire from the Metropolitan line trains. They run fast from Baker Street (of Sherlock Holmes and Madame Tussaud's fame), to Harrow on the Hill. You can see that spire for miles around.

A few yards along the road on the corner is the Castle pub. I have eaten there for lunch with a writing group.

You can walk uphill to historic Harrow-on-the-Hill with its statue of Elizabeth high up on the wall, boutique shops and restaurants, tours of the school in season, and streets where the boys wear boaters (straw hats) in the summer term.

Or walk downhill to bustling Harrow with its department store and two shopping malls.

You can walk up and down the leafy hill to enjoy the exercise and views, or take the H7 single-decker bus to Wembley Central.

Useful Websites
To book the room with the view of the spire:
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/5902247?location=crown%20street%20Harrow%20on%20the%20Hill%2C%20United%20Kingdom&s=8e3ZEhj4

visitlondon.com
visitbritain.com
visitbritainshop.com
tfl.gov.uk (Transport for London, government site)

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several more posts on Harrow,  Wembley, Sherlock Holmes, London and destinations worldwide. Please share links to your favourite posts.