HE’S the internationally recognised fictional detective created by former Portsmouth resident Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Now an exhibition celebrating the life of Sherlock Holmes has been given a huge boost. A total of £80,000 has been awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to bring the collection at Portsmouth City Museum to a wider audience.
A total of £10,000 was also donated by the council towards the ‘Sharing Sherlock – The story of a Pompey lad’ project.
The cash will fund a new online exhibition and study packs for schools.
And 30 outreach and education workshops will be held in Portsmouth and the wider area.
There are also plans to recruit 20 volunteers to lead the workshops and develop the online material.
Councillor Lee Hunt, cabinet member for culture, said: ‘Sherlock Holmes has global appeal, however we want to make sure local residents know as much as possible about this famous resident.
‘The funding will help to recruit people to work directly with school kids and build on the interest that surrounds Conan Doyle’s creation.
‘An online exhibition also means we can share all the wonderful collection pieces more widely and make them much more accessible.
‘We want to capitalise on people’s appetite for the world famous literary detective and offer immediate, interactive material.
‘Someone going online to find out more about Sherlock, after seeing the films or TV show, or reading the books, will hopefully come across the treasure trove of information held in Portsmouth.’
The council also put additional £10,000 towards the project.
Stuart McLeod, head of Heritage Lottery Fund South East England, said: ‘Portsmouth has an outstanding collection of material about the life and work of Conan Doyle and his most famous creation Sherlock Holmes.
Stephen Fry, patron of the Conan Doyle Richard Lancelyn Green Bequest said: ‘The collection of his papers in Portsmouth is a fabulous treasure that Sherlockians, admirers of Doyle’s writing and those curious to find out more are grateful to know exists.’
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