The Council holds an internationally important collection of materials relating to the work and writing of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes. The collection includes more than 50,000 items including objects, memorabilia, documents, and photos.

Before this project began, the council had carried out the conservation and cataloguing of the Conan Doyle collection using existing archive resources and supported by a group of regular volunteers.

The Sharing Sherlock project engaged a variety of audiences. Portsmouth Autism Support Network group produced an animation ‘The Lost and Found World’ (in collaboration with Artswork) and an exhibition showcasing artefacts relating to The Lost World. Ogroshor Group – a Bengali Women’s Group stitched a story into a traditional Bengali quilt – ‘The Adventures of the Copper Beeches’, and their final exhibition was showcased in Portsmouth Central Library. Portsmouth MIND designed and built their own version of 221b Baker Street, as well as putting together an exhibition in Fratton Community Centre.

New learning materials and activities have enabled local schools to use the collection to explore a variety of historical and literary themes, as well as opening up international access to the collection through an online exhibition.