Sherlock collection to go on show at library
Portsmouth's renowned collection of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia is set to go on show to the public.
Thousands of books, magazines and objects relating to the fictional detective and his creator Arthur Conan Doyle are set to be moved from a private room in the Guildhall to the Central Library.
Culture managers plan on creating space in the eaves of the library's roof to house the collection, which was bequeathed to the city in 2004 by Conan Doyle enthusiast Richard Lancelyn Green.
It comes after dozens of volunteers finished cataloguing almost 12,000 books, although work on the rest of the archive is still ongoing.
Stephen Baily, head of culture at the council, said: 'An incredible amount of work has gone into cataloguing it in this short time, and my thanks go to the volunteers.
'It is superb that the collection is now accessible to the public.'
A feasibility study has been carried out proving the space is the library is suitable.
But work will have to be done on the roof to make it watertight and secure before the collection can be moved. Costs are currently being estimated.
Cllr Lee Hunt, Lib Dem in charge of culture and leisure, said: 'It is a huge collection and it is going to be of enormous benefit to the profile of Portsmouth to have it open to the public.'
As reported in The News, the city council has been criticised for failing to make the most of the collection in the past.
But museum managers have maintained every item needed to be catalogued before it could go on show.
Already volunteers have spent more than 7,500 hours working on it - saving the council more than 150,000.
Meanwhile parts of the collection have been on show at the City Museum, where an exhibition is likely to remain when the rest of the archive moves.
Cllr Robin Sparshatt, Tory spokesman for culture and leisure, said: 'It is brilliant that the archiving has been done this quickly.'
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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