The game's afoot as armchair detectives mark Sherlock Holmes Day
[May 22, 2026]
By NICCOLÒ LUPONE and JEZ FIELDER
SCHATTENHALB, Switzerland (AP) — From 221B Baker Street in central
London to a cliffside waterfall in the Swiss Alps, generations of
armchair detectives are celebrating International Sherlock Holmes Day on
Friday.
Fans will mark Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's birthday in tribute to the
author and his most famous character whose adventures continue to shape
popular culture around the world.
The celebrations began earlier this month when — sporting Victorian
capes, deerstalker hats and period gowns — enthusiasts from the Sherlock
Holmes Society of London traveled to Switzerland 's Reichenbach Falls to
reenact one of literature's most famous fictional death scenes.
The fateful confrontation between Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis
Professor James Moriarty shocked readers of “The Final Problem” and
appeared to bring one of literature’s most beloved detectives to an end.
In the original 1893 story, Holmes disappears over the edge of the falls
with Moriarty, leaving his sidekick, Dr. John Watson, to discover a
farewell letter near the water. Conan Doyle — who was born on May 22,
1859 — intended the scene to permanently kill off Holmes because he
feared the detective stories were overshadowing what he considered his
more serious historical writing.
At the time, readers canceled magazine subscriptions, wore black
armbands in mourning and protested against Holmes’ death. A decade
later, Conan Doyle reversed the decision and brought Holmes back in “The
Adventure of the Empty House,” revealing that the detective had staged
his death and survived the falls.
The Sherlock Holmes stories helped establish many of the conventions of
modern detective fiction. Between 1887 and 1927, Conan Doyle wrote four
Holmes novels and 56 short stories, introducing techniques such as
forensic deduction, close observation and logical analysis that later
became standard elements of crime fiction.
The stories have since been adapted for the stage, screen and in comic
books around the world, with Jeremy Brett, Basil Rathbone, Christopher
Lee, Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch starring in portrayals.
British actor Hero Fiennes Tiffin stars in the latest iteration in
Amazon Prime’s new prequel series “Young Sherlock,” created by Guy
Ritchie and released earlier this year. A second season is in the works.
At 221B Baker Street, the Sherlock Holmes Museum has drawn visitors
since it opened in 1990 with curiosities including Holmes' violin and
chemistry set, as well as a revolver resting inside a hollowed-out book.
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Members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London recreate the
fateful confrontation between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty
at the Reichenbach Falls, Switzerland, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Niccolo
Lupone, Pool)
 Holmes, according to the stories,
lived at the Georgian townhouse between 1881 and 1904 and shared the
residence with Watson. But 221B didn’t actually exist when Conan
Doyle was writing: Baker Street numbers didn’t reach that high at
the time.
The museum, physically located between 237 and 241, had to be
granted special permission by Westminster City Council to bear the
renowned number.
“It has to be the most famous address in the world, I would say,”
tour guide Paul Leharne said. “No matter what reincarnation Sherlock
Holmes is going to take, he’s always going to be living at 221B
Baker Street.”
With theatrical poses, exaggerated acting and black cloaks billowing
in the mountain spray, members of the Sherlock Holmes Society of
London on May 3 reenacted the struggle between Holmes and Moriarty
at Reichenbach Falls.
Founded in 1951, the society brings together readers, collectors,
academics and enthusiasts of Conan Doyle’s work. The trip to the
Reichenbach Falls followed part of the route described in “The Final
Problem.” Members traveled through Switzerland in vintage buses
before boarding a cog railway that climbs steeply toward the
waterfall.
The Reichenbach Falls became one of the most famous locations in
detective fiction after Conan Doyle visited the area during an 1893
trip.
Philip Porter, an author and publisher who starred as Sherlock
Holmes in the society's reproduction, said the setting itself
remains central to the stories’ appeal.
“It’s a pilgrimage,” he said. “It’s a very dramatic setting: The
sound, the backdrop, the music behind us of the cascading water.”
Peter Horrocks, who played Moriarty, said the return to normal life
after spending several days in a villain's costume can be tough.
“It’s a strange feeling, getting out of these clothes,” he said.
“You do start to inhabit the character that you’re playing after a
while.”
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Fielder reported from London.
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