Undershaw

Undershaw is a former residence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes.

Location

The house is located close to the A3 road in the village of Hindhead in Surrey, near the larger town of Haslemere and about 40 miles south of London. The house is situated amid large trees, with a view of an undeveloped valley extending to the South Downs.

Construction and style

Doyle commissioned the construction on the site in the late 1890s. The builder was architect Joseph Henry Bell, and the style is 'Surrey-vernacular'. The house is largely composed of red brick and is asymmetrical. The house was built to cater to the needs of Doyle's wife Louise, who suffered from tuberculosis. Doctors of the era had reccommended healthy air, which Surrey was known for. Another factor in the construction was the large windows which let in more light, calculated to provide a cheerful indoor environment. The windows also featured specially manufactured stained glass with a coat of arms said to be that of Doyle's family. (Many of these have not survived the attacks of vandals in recent years.)

The doors of the hourse are also unusual in that they open both ways. The current internal layout is of 14 bedrooms, with a size of 10,000 square feet.

Doyle's three-storey home featured a grand staircase of shallow steps, to prevent Louise Doyle from becoming winded on the way upstairs. It also featured a billiards room and Doyle's private book-lined study, where the author wrote some of his best-known work.

History

Doyle and his wife inhabited the home for a decade, from 1897 to 1907. Doyle moved after her death in the latter date. The house was the place where many of Doyle's most famous works were composed, including The Hound of the Baskervilles, and the stories that made up The Return of Sherlock Holmes in which Doyle brought Holmes back to life after the fictional detective had seemingly perished while grappling with his archenemy Professor Moriarty on a cliff at Reichenbach Falls.

Controversy

The house was converted into a hotel not long after Doyle sold it. The hotel closed in 2004, and has been vacant since. Currently plans are underway to remake the home into a multi-unit apartment. The plan is under fire from preservationists, who want to see the home converted into a museum dedicated to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.