Sherlock Holmes Christmas Walk: The Blue Carbuncle

About this course

The course begins with an introduction to how Arthur Conan Doyle drew on medicine, war, séances, scandal and London life to shape Sherlock Holmes. It considers Victorian society, policing, crime, justice and the development of forensic thinking, alongside the ways literature uses the city to build story and character. An interactive guided walk then follows locations associated with The Blue Carbuncle. Participants encounter clues, reconstruct events and examine Holmes’s methods through observation, evidence and deduction. Teaching combines a talk with a guided tour and place-based engagement with the literary text.

What you'll learn

• Explain how Conan Doyle uses London as a narrative setting
• Identify features of Holmes’s deductive method
• Describe aspects of Victorian social and urban life
• Analyse how place can be used to engage with a literary text

Is this course right for you?

Described as introductory and open to everyone, with no particular skills stated. The course combines a talk with an interactive outdoor investigation, so participants should be prepared to walk between London locations and engage with clues as the case develops.

• Includes an outdoor walking element
• Combines a lecture with a guided tour

Before you go

• Wear clothing and footwear suitable for the season.
• Follow the tutor's health and safety instructions during the walk.