Save Undershaw, Conan Doyle's Historic Home

[Undead Medic]

The former home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is under threat from unsympathetic development. Mark Gatiss has lent his voice as patron of the campaign to save the late author's residence, Undershaw.

 

 

A few words from Mark:

“I would like to express my whole-hearted enthusiasm for the campaign to save Undershaw. It seems to me a very sad reflection on our times that the home of one of our greatest and most popular writers should be so neglected and in danger of unsympathetic redevelopment.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle occupied several residences in his prolific and thrilling career, only Undershaw bears the stamp of his massive personality. Here the Hound of the Baskervilles first breathed spectral life and Sherlock Holmes himself was resurrected from the Reichenback Falls. Here Stoker, Barrie and Hornung and many others were entertained. It’s no exaggeration to say that Undershaw was the centre of Doyle’s life during perhaps the most fruitful and fascinating phase of his career. It must be saved and take its place among the sensitively preserved residences of this country’s other literary giants. This is certainly a three-pipe problem but not, I am convinced, an insoluble one.”

 

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Whatever way you choose to support the campaign we thank you for your valuable help

Introducing the members of the Undershaw Preservation Trust

Patron and Sponsor Mark Gatiss, Actor, Screenwriter and Novelist

We have the pleasure and utmost honour to welcome Mark Gatiss as our all important addition to the Trust. Mark has kindly accepted the role as patron and sponsor in our bid to save Undershaw.

 

 

More info at www.saveundershaw.com

[Banshee]

Nice to see people care about things like this! *Goes like on facebook*

[Punch me in the face]

Page liked, relevant messages retweeted...

[JessieBlackwood]

Least I can do is follow John's example and blog about it.... although this one might take some solving. Glad to see Mr Gatiss is putting his weight behind it.

[believeinsherlock]

Here's the Facebook link so you can "like" their page:

https://www.facebook.com/saveundershaw/posts/409892912370748

 

Also, if you could say in the comments box that you were recommended by me then I might win 2 tickets to a big event they're having (which would be so amazing). I promise I'll post loads of pictures if I win...!

[JessieBlackwood]

I've already liked this but what's your FB profile?

Would I not need it for the comment?

[JessieBlackwood]

They got in touch on FB to thank us for posting this. We need to tell as many people as we can.

[Alice Holmes]

How could they do this though? Actually, they are threatening to do the same to the Poe House...Poor Victorian writers!!!!!!

[believeinsherlock]

I told them all my various nicknames cause I've posted this all over the internet under different guises!

[Ideduce]

Thanks for this *goes to facebook*

[Undead Medic]

From the BBC News website dated 12th Nov 2012:

 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle house development appeal upheld

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle designed the property and lived there with his wife Continue reading the main story

 

Related Stories

• Conan Doyle house plans blocked
• Conan Doyle house ruling reserved
• Legal fight over Conan Doyle home

A High Court ruling that the former home of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle should not be redeveloped has been upheld.

Waverley Borough Council had granted developers Fossway permission to part demolish Undershaw, near Haslemere, Surrey, and turn it into flats.

The plans were challenged by the Undershaw Preservation Trust. In May, the High Court quashed the decision.

Fossway applied for permission to appeal against the High Court ruling.

Richard Harwood, for Fossway, argued the council's decision to grant planning permission was "thoroughly sound" and the High Court had been wrong to intervene.

He told appeal judge Lord Justice Pitchford no reasonable offers for the property had been received and their plan was "the only viable proposal put forward".

Heritage assets

But Lord Justice Pitchford upheld the High Court ruling and refused Fossway permission to take the case to a full appeal hearing.

The judge said the council's arguments did not adequately meet the requirements to pay special regard to the preservation of heritage assets.

The ruling means fresh decisions will now have to be taken on the future of Undershaw.

The Grade II-listed property, built in Hindhead in 1897, was the house where Conan Doyle wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles.

In September 2010, Waverley Council agreed Fossway could redevelop the property.

There were 1,360 objections to the Fossway proposal, included those from the Victorian Society, local MP and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, writer Ian Rankin and broadcaster Stephen Fry.

[SherLOCKED221]

Support Undershaw!!

 

I wish I could help more! But I refuse to use Amazon!! *Tear comes to eyes* Poor Undershaw!! *wipes tear away*

 

SAVE UNDERSHAW!!! *pounds fist in air*

[Carol the Dabbler]

I could swear that I saw a very encouraging bit of news (on Sherlockology?) the other day, but darned if I can find it now -- something about a new judicial ruling -- but I'm not sure if that settles it, or if there could still be further appeals.

[SherLOCKED221]

A part of me wants to say (after [hopefully] Undershaw is saved) to say 'Hey! I had a small part in saving that building were Doyle wrote Sherlock'

But sadly I cannot do much except post some awareness messages on forums.

 

That news report that Undead Medic posted from the BBC News website dated 12th Nov 2012 at first sounded encouraging but then I reread it and realised it wasn't.

Hopefully Undeshaw will be saved!

 

SUPPORT UNDERSHAW!

[Carol the Dabbler]

Thank you for pointing out that post. That is indeed where I saw it -- right here on this thread, when I thought it had its own separate thread. Plus I was looking for an item from Sherlockology, and it was actually from the BBC. So of course I couldn't find it! (Thought I was going nuts .... )

 

I found the newsfeed version of the story (posted above) to be somewhat confusingly worded in spots. Here's basically the same thing on the BBC web site, where it's organized more clearly. As I read it, here are the salient bits:

 

A High Court ruling that the former home of Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle should not be redeveloped has been upheld.

... Lord Justice Pitchford upheld the High Court ruling and refused Fossway permission to take the case to a full appeal hearing.

The ruling means fresh decisions will now have to be taken on the future of Undershaw.

Essentially, I believe the situation is that the developer who was wanting to turn the house into flats cannot do so (and has run out of appeals). So that plan is dead, meaning that the structure will remain as is until someone comes up with another plan. This is a temporary reprieve.

 

Hopefully, some group will step forward with a plan to restore the house as it was when Conan Doyle lived there. If not, it could still be redeveloped, though presumably in some way that would not change the structure as radically as the plan that was just shot down.

 

If I've misread that, please let me know!

[SherLOCKED221]

Yes, that’s basically what I thought after I reread the first post and then read yours.

 

Sadly even running out of appeals is only a temporary solution and it could still be ruined by redevelopment. It needs to be restored, but again it needs someone to pick up the project.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Speaking of projects to help save Undershaw -- Sherlockology is asking fans to help pay for translating their fundraiser book, Sherlock's Home, into five additional languages. They're getting close to the amount of pledges needed, but they have only one week left to raise the rest.

 

 

Click here to see how you can help!

[SherLOCKED221]

Oh such a pity that I only speak english!

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

I usually will use Amazon but in this case I am going through a local indepentant little book store who are very excited about this project and are more then happy to order any of the titles that are being published to help fund The Undershaw Preservation Fund. They can't get every title as some are only available in the UK, but they do try. They even hope to host an event with all procedes going to Undershaw. So if you know of a bookstore near you that would help order these books please do support them as well.

[SherLOCKED221]

By your post it seems as if their is more than one book that raises money for UNDERSHAW.

I was under the impression it was just "Sherlock's Home".

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

There is "Sherlock's Home", "The Real Sherlock Holmes" by Joe Riggs, "Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Crystal Blue Bottle" which is a graphic novel, "The Many Watsons" by Kieran McMullen, "An Entirely New Country" by Alistair Duncan, "Mrs. Hudson's Diaries, A View From the Landing at 221b" by Barry Cryer and Bob Cryer, and "Sherlock, The Casebook" by Guy Adams.

 

More books are coming being produced all the time. One is being collected for. If anyone wants to contribute to this project, go to Undershaw Preservation Trust and look into it. They are accepting essays and art work until March first. Then exactly 221 entries will be chosen to be included in the book to be produced.

 

To see a full list of books, you can go to the Facebook Undershaw Preservation Trust page or just Google it.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I believe that some of those books are also available in a number of other languages, which might be of interest to quite a few members -- those who live in non-English-speaking countries, as well as those who have studied other languages in school.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Exactly. On their Facebook page, The Trust list all the different translations that are being worked on. German, French, Dutch, and everything in between.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Sherlockology and MX Publishing recently announced a Russian edition of Sherlock's Home (click either link for more information):

 

 

Sherlockology has also announced that Undershaw itself is now available for sale or rent (as a residence or hotel only) -- and how you can help:

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Sherlockology has just posted a list of things we fans can do to help save Undershaw -- even those of us who don't have enough money to actually buy the house!

 

 

(Does anyone else think that profile looks a bit like Brent Spiner?)