ADVENTURE TIME

wearsherlock:

In this interesting article published by The Radio Times, Sherlock’s production designer Arwel Wyn Jones talks about some of the key items featured on the set of 221b Baker Street. Wearsherlock have been on the hunt for more information so you too can have a part of 221b in your own house! Click on the set images above to see them in higher resolution. 

“The animal skull was purchased online and sprayed a glossy black before it was mounted on the wall. The headphones were a last-minute, spur-of the moment addition.”

If you’re looking for a bison skull, your best bet is skullsunlimited.com which stock a wide range of skulls in all shapes and sizes. Many independent sellers on etsy and eBay also stock skulls and often at a cheaper price. The headphones, by Zumreed are available here in cream.

“A modern alternative to the stiletto always referenced as Holmes’s way of filing the mail, this Leatherman knife actually belonged to Arwel. But because it now has a permanent home on set, he’s had to purchase a replacement.”

We’ve previously posted Sherlock’s Leatherman knife here but it’s interesting to point out that Moriarty opts for the same brand only in a more compact version, his being the Leatherman Squirt P4. 

“The skull on the mantelpiece is, of course, a cast, which had to be chiselled out to allow Watson to hide Holmes’s packet of cigarettes inside it in The Hounds of Baskerville.”

Looking for your own (slightly) creepy mantelpiece ornament? Look no further than Amazon.co.uk who stock many replica skulls (click the link for our favourite). If you’d like a real human skull, boneroom.com can help! As previously answered, the cigarettes hidden by Sherlock’s skull were completely brandless, featuring nothing but the typical UK warning label. 

For those interested in the frame of beetles and epauletted bat, which is also seen in Sherlock’s bedroom, (take a closer look at a similar frame here), etsy and eBay are once again the best places to look if you want one at a steal. To get an idea of retail pricing try naturepavillion.com. Here’s a frame of beetles from their shop at $94. 

“In the artwork on the wall, parts of the skull are painted on different layers of Perspex, creating a sort of 3D effect. Even shot in 2D, the depth created and the weirdness of the effect make for an impressive addition to the set.”

For lovers of 221b’s artwork, our partners in prop hunting sherlockology.com have created a downloadable PDF of the piece here. If you’d like to give it a go yourself, a plain base for the graphic is available here.  

“We wanted to blur the edge between laboratory and kitchen, says Arwel, suggesting Holmes would think nothing of boiling the kettle next to an experiment on a severed hand - or heating up beans on a Bunsen burner.”

Want to have your own laboratory kitchen? For all your equipment needs try, alkaliscientific, alphalabs or spectrumchemical. If you’re looking for Sherlock’s book, the exact copy is available here at Amazon where you’ll also find his black pestle and mortar in a range of sizes. We’re still currently searching for Sherlock’s microscope, so if you think you know the model please let us know!

“The magpie seal was inspired by the music playing on Moriarty’s headphones (Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie) as he staged his daring break-ins. It also influenced the winged IOU graffiti on a Baker Street wall.”

Have another listen to The Thieving Magpie here. For those of you who want a better look at the graffiti, here’s a close up. If you’d like to make your own magpie seal, you can create one at customwaxnseals.com

it’s like someone came in and took pictures and sherlock and john don’t really give a shit