Well at least he made the list. . . .

Harry Potter, the British Royals and Premier League football revealed as the main reasons why tourists come to the UK

But good old British grub apparently isn't appealing...

Chinese tourists visiting Britain come for the Royal Family, Harry Potter and Premier Leaguefootball, but sidestep seaside fish and chips, a Visit Britain report has suggested.

More than 250,000 holidaymakers from China spent more than half a billion pounds in the UK last year and these figures are expected to grow sharply fuelled by growing middle and affluent classes.

The report revealed that Chinese tourists rate Britain highly for both its heritage and contemporary culture with a particular focus on museums and films.

It said: "They are mostly interested in symbolic elements: the Royal Family, Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter and Downton Abbey.

"The Chinese outbound market is booming: visits abroad more than doubled in five years, from about 41m overnight stays in 2011 to 85m in 2016. By 2020, it is forecast to exceed 110m trips overseas."

the full story here.

Doyle and WW1

Prose & Poetry - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

When World War One broke out in 1914 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tried to enlist in the military stating, "I am fifty-five but I am very strong and hardy, and can make my voice audible at great distances, which is useful at drill."

His offer was refused but that didn't stop Sir Arthur from contributing to the war effort in every way possible.  In fact, he was active in defence of his country even before war broke out.

The Prince Henry Tour

Conan Doyle had a strong feeling that conflict was coming after a 1911 automobile event.  That year he took part in the International Road Competition organized by Prince Henry of Prussia.  Known as the Prince Henry Tour, this contest was designed to pit the quality of British automobiles against German automobiles.  The route took the participants from Hamburg, Germany to London.

Conan Doyle and his wife, Jean, were one of the British driving teams.  Each of the ninety cars involved in the contest carried a military observer from the opposite team.  Conan Doyle was surprised at the hostile attitudes of many of the German observers.  He also heard much talk about the inevitability of war.

The British won the competition, but most of the participants came away with the conviction that war was near.

Danger!

Alarmed by what he'd seen in the Prince Henry Tour Conan Doyle began to study German war literature.  He saw that the submarine and the airplane were going to be important factors in the next war.  He was particularly concerned about the threat of submarines blockading food shipments to Britain.

Conan Doyle endorsed the Channel Tunnel proposal as a way of safeguarding Britain from this threat.  The tunnel would run between France and England.  Conan Doyle argued that the tunnel would ensure that Britain couldn't be cut off from the rest of Europe during wartime and would provide increased tourism revenues during peacetime.

Convinced that this was a vital precaution Conan Doyle eventually took his idea to the public in the form of a story.  Danger! Being the Log of Captain John Sirius appeared in the July 1914 edition of the Strand Magazine.  The story dealt with a conflict between Britain and a fictional country called Norland.  In the story, Norland is able to bring Britain to its knees by the use of a small submarine fleet.

Sadly Conan Doyle's warnings were ignored, at least by the British.  German officials were later quoted as saying that the idea of the submarine blockade came to them after hearing Conan Doyle's warnings against such an event.  How much of that statement was truth and how much was propaganda designed to cause conflict within Britain is not known.

Private Conan Doyle

When war finally did break out in 1914 Conan Doyle was fifty-five years old.  His age didn't stop him from trying to enlist in the military.

In a letter to the war office he stated, "I think I may say that my name is well known to the younger men of this country and that if I were to take a commission at my age it would set an example which might be of help."  He went on to list some of his qualifications, "I am fifty-five but I am very strong and hardy, and can make my voice audible at great distances, which is useful at drill."

Despite his generous offer and his loud voice Conan Doyle's application was denied.  However he was determined to help the war effort in any way possible.  He next set about to organize defence units comprised of civilian volunteers.  The War Office ordered those units to be disbanded and replaced them with units that were centrally administered through their office.

Conan Doyle's unit became the Crowborough Company of the Sixth Royal Sussex Volunteer Regiment.  He was offered the command position in the new battalion, but Conan Doyle refused.  He wanted to show his countrymen that all were equal in the defence of Britain.  He entered the group as Private Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Power of the Press

In the first few weeks of the war three British cruisers were lost.  The 1,400 men aboard the cruisers were lost as well.  Conan Doyle thought the loss of life was preventable.  He wrote to the War Office urging that each sailor be given an "inflatable rubber belt" to assist the sailors in case their ships went down.

Sir Arthur was never reluctant to use his personal popularity when fighting for a just cause.  Therefore he also sent letters to the press proposing these very same ideas.  He knew that while the War Office might ignore the voice of one man, it couldn't ignore the voice of public opinion.

His plan worked.  The government soon ordered inflatable rubber collars, the forerunner of today's lifejackets, for the country's sailors.

Conan Doyle would use this same tactic later when advocating that lifeboats be carried on military vessels.  He also urged that body armour be issued to frontline soldiers.

The British Campaign in France and Flanders

While World War One still raged on Conan Doyle began work on The British Campaign in France and Flanders.  It was an extremely detailed history of the war.  Conan Doyle was very proud of it and went to great pains to make it as accurate as possible.

He gathered material for the book from any sources including the British military.  However the book wasn't as balanced as it could be.  Conan Doyle totally trusted the material he received from some of his sources.  The bias of these sources made its way into the book.

The British Campaign in France and Flanders was initially published in six volumes.  The first volumes didn't sell well because they were published when the war was still being fought.  The public wanted to hear about the day's battles rather that read a history of the early days of the war.  After the war ended the public, possibly wanting a break from death and destruction, had little interest in reading about the conflict.  Conan Doyle said the book was, "an undeserved literary disappointment".

From One War to the Next

Sir Arthur's suggestions on warfare were thought of as intrusive by some members of the British government.  However he had some supporters as well.  One of those, the First Sea Lord of the Admiralty, would play an important role in World War Two.  The man's name was Winston Churchill.

Article contributed by Marsha Perry at The Chronicles of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Click here to read Conan Doyle's account of fighting at Antwerp in 1914; click here to read his summary of the November 1917 Battle of Cambrai.

Source

A pdf copy of his book can be found Here

Arthur Conan Doyle's eerie vision of the future of war

The case of the rugged rogue? Benedict Cumberbatch sports some heavy stubble as Sherlock Holmes in a stark contrast to the character's usual clean shaven look

By JJ NATTRASS FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 06:25 EST, 1 June 2016 | UPDATED: 06:27 EST, 1 June 2016

He's busy filming the much-anticipated fourth series of the BBC's hit-series, Sherlock.

But Benedict Cumberbatch's roguish detective appeared to have lost his razor during his latest escapade, as the cast and crew of the detective drama filmed scenes in South Wales.

Shooting scenes in Cardiff City Centre, the 39-year-old actor sported a heavy layer of stubble as he filmed scenes alongside two elder gents - presumably integral to the plot of the episode.

Whilst the actor's dark brown locks were styled into Sherlock's trademark tousled sweep, the famous detective's usually clean shaven features were coated in a heavy layer of stubble. 

Clad in full-costume, and sporting the character's well worn great coat, a navy shirt, dark trousers and black Oxford shoes, Holmes was instantly recognizable amide the hub-bub of cast and crew.

However, it seems that the latest shoot for the series sees Sherlock at his wit's end, as the appeared slightly weary and exhausted - something further emphasized by his loose stance and open-neck shirt.

Chatting away to the crew in-between takes, the actor looked to be searching for the right inspiration to take into the scene.

Clutching a bundle of pink papers in one hand, presumably his lines, it appeared that Benedict was intent on delivering a stellar performance on camera.

And it seems that the actor was facing off against one of Sherlock's numerous enemies, as he appeared to have a tense showdown with a man in a white suit.

Looking slightly insidious, the suited individual stood out from the crowd thanks to the lime green shirt and cravat that he teamed with the cream two piece.

The blonde actor was seen facing off against Benedict in Mount Stuart Square, with the two actors mirroring each other's stances perfectly.

And it seems that it was all hands on deck, as the actors were joined by numerous members of the cast and extras, as well as a heavy contingent of crew. 

Filming has continued at full-pace following Sherlock co-creators Steven Moffat and Gatiss confirmation that the show was returning in April - following the New Year's special earlier in the year.

In a statement, Steven and Mark said: 'Sherlock series four - here we go again!

'Whatever else we do, wherever we all go, all roads lead back to Baker Street - and it always feels like coming home.

'Ghosts of the past are rising in the lives of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson bringing adventure, romance and terror in their wake.

'This is the story we've been telling from the beginning. A story about to reach its climax.'

Benedict said he was 'thrilled' to be back as the detective.

He said: 'I can't wait for everyone to see season four. But you will have to wait... though not for long... And it will be worth it.'

Series four will return to BBC later this year with three feature length episodes. 

Source

We can all sleep better now.. . .

Benedict Cumberbatch has no plans to quit 'Sherlock'

And number sixteen has a Sherlockian connection. . .

Wales

Simpson's-on-the-Strand

Now doesn't that make you think Sherlock Holmes or what!

On another Sherlockian discussion blog I follow a poster asked,

"Places for SH tourism? my local paper today wrote about London's Baker Street, Meiringen (Switzerland) and Prague(!). Any recommendations for SH places to see?"

Well there were, as you may guess, a lot of recommendations.
I suggested Simpson's and a couple others seconded that suggestion.

And all this talk of Simpson's put me in a reminiscing frame of mind about my visit there many years ago.

The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn put together a trip to England to visit Sherlockian sights. About five members were able to make the trip, which spent half it's time in London and half outside of the capital looking for more rural sites.

While in London we made the required visits to most Sherlockian sights and even visited with some notable Holmesians.
We planned an early dinner at Simpson's with a local Sherlockian, and we arrived straight from one of our sight-seeing walks.
I hadn't really known what we were getting into with this planned dinner stop. We weren't that Internet connected back then (1993), so I had not done proper research into menu or dress code.
It had been a fairly warm July day so I had spent the day walking around just in slacks and button down shirt.
The other two gentlemen in our group were of a more professional occupation than myself, so they naturally went around in a jacket as habit.

When we arrived at Simpson's the maitre d' informed us (me) that a jacket was required.
I thought I was going to be out of luck and would have to find something else to do while my fellow travelers enjoyed the food and company at this great establishment.
But alas, as old and experienced as Simpson's is, they were prepared for uncouth travelers like myself (but I do have good table manners).
I wish I could have, and commented so at the time, taken home the jacket they provided because it fit really well and I liked it.

This performance all took place near the entrance to the hallowed establishment.

And once properly attired I was able to start taking in my surroundings.

The first thing I noticed was not the old wood work or ornate trim, but the centuries old aroma of cooked beef, and it was not, to me, an unpleasant aroma at all.
It was indeed an enticing aroma, and if I hadn't already known I was going to have the beef, it would have changed my mine. I  felt as if I had arrived at a place that had been doing the same thing over 

and over again for many years, and was still doing it, and doing it very well.
We were escorted to the Grand Divan for our meal, where the beef was carved right at the table, and served from a silver serving cart and looked much like the picture to the left.
For a Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding loving Yorkshire-man like myself, it was culinary heaven.
We dallied over dinner for quite a while talking with our guest and amongst ourselves, and taking in these historic surroundings.
I was able to purchase for my collection a cup and saucer with their logo on the side, and it sits proudly in my china cabinet.
And the walk back to our hotel in Mayfair, a walk of about two miles, completed an excellent Sherlockian day.
I have not yet been able to return to Simpson's, but it has not yet been removed from my bucket list.

It is interesting to note that included in the list of famous people who have taken a meal at Simpson's; Van Gogh, Charles Dickens William Gladstone, etc, they actually list Sherlock Holmes.
Didn't anyone ever tell them. . . . . .  . . . Dr. Watson was with him many times and should be listed also.

I hope you can make the pilgrimage some day.

My wife can't stand the smell of them. . .

. .  so therefore, will not try them. But I kinda grew up with them and can eat them right out of the can..
Wish we could get them before they are canned over here, without paying an arm and a leg.

Any mention of kippers or fish in the Canon as a food?

SALES REVIVAL

I wish my 'local' looked like this.

Heritage pubs   I

I can see Holmes and Watson sitting in one like this in Dartmoor.

Way to go Andy!

On the BBC