Plaque

Holmes & Watson - Barts

Erection date: 1953

Inscription

At this place New Years Day, 1881 were spoken these deathless words: "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive." by Mr. Sherlock Holmes in greeting to John H. Watson, MD. at their first meeting.
The Baker Street Irregulars - 1953 by the Amateur Mendicants at the Caucus Club.

The incident commemorated takes place in the first Sherlock Holmes story "A Study in Scarlett" published in 1887. See the plaque at the Criterion for what led up to this meeting.

This plaque is displayed in Barts Hospital Museum and was brought to our attention by Londonist.

The information panel under the plaque gives: "'You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive'. These immortal, but fictional, words signify the beginning of the partnership between Dr John H. Watson, MD, and the world famous detective Sherlock Holmes, in the chemical laboratory of St Bartholomew's Hospital. This plaque, which commemorates that meeting, was originally hung in the Pathology Museum Curator's room, a spot near the new non-existent chemical laboratory. ... Dr Watson had indeed been in Afghanistan, as an army surgeon, but before that he had trained at Bart's and also worked here as a house surgeon. Watson was wounded in Afghanistan and invalided back to England. He returned to London where he met a former colleague called Stamford. Watson was running short of money and mentioned to Stamford that he was seeking cheaper lodgings. Stamford told him about a man who was working in the chemical laboratory at Bart's who was looking for someone to share the nice rooms he had found. This man turned out to be Sherlock Holmes. Holmes' connection to Bart's is more obscure than that of Watson. Stamford tells Watson that Holmes is not a medical student, although he is 'well up' in anatomy and a first class chemist. Holmes might have been a private pupil or associate of the lecturer in chemistry at the Hospital."

At the Amateur Mendicants Society we learn that the plaque was previously displayed in a Medical School building but since no one got to see it there, it was moved in about 2006, to the Museum.

Site: Bart's War Memorial + Holmes & Watson meeting (2 memorials)

EC1, St Bartholomew's Hospital, North Building archway

The photograph is taken from the central courtyard facing north.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Holmes & Watson - Barts

Subjects commemorated i

Sherlock Holmes

Originally named Sheridan Hope, then Sherringford Holmes and finally Sherlock...

Read More

Dr Watson

John H. Watson, MD, friend of Sherlock Holmes.

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Holmes & Watson - Barts

Created by i

Baker Street Irregulars

The Baker Street Irregulars is a literary society dedicated to the study of S...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Holmes & Watson - Barts

Also at this site i

Bart's War Memorial

Bart's War Memorial

{Entering the hospital from West Smithfield you walk through an arched passag...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Turk's Head - Wapping - 2

Turk's Head - Wapping - 2

E1, Green Bank / Tench Street, 1 / 20

The large plaque about the recent history of the building is on the wall beside the car. The other is on the corner nearest the camera, a...

5 subjects commemorated
Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson

Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson

SW7, Chemistry Building, Imperial College Road

The Barton, Porter & Wilkinson plaques are on the left hand wall of the porch, Chain, a later addition, is facing them on the right h...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Queen's Head Inn, Southwark

Queen's Head Inn, Southwark

SE1, Borough High Street, 103

The "Queen's Head Inn", owned by the family of John Harvard, founder of Harvard University, formerly stood here. Historic Southwark

3 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Charles Yates

Charles Yates

E5, Northwold Road, West Hackney Almshouses

In grateful memory of Alderman Charles Fisher Yates JP, an ardent worker for and benefactor of the West Hackney Almshouses, who passed aw...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Avondale Park

Avondale Park

W11, Walmer Road, The Lodge, Miss Delaney's Nursery School

From RBKC: "Avondale Park, at the top of Pottery Lane, was created in 1892 when the area that had been a huge fetid pool known as "the oc...

6 subjects commemorated

Previously viewed

Mahomet Weyonomon

Mahomet Weyonomon

A Mohegan Sachem (chief), grandson of Sachem Oweneco and well-educated, writing several languages including English and Latin. The Mohegans became allies of the English, helping the first settlers ...

Person, Race Issues, Royalty, Tragedy

1 memorial
George Baxter - lost plaque

George Baxter - lost plaque

EC1, Northampton Square, City University

In May 2017 a small exhibition at City University displayed a copy of a photograph showing “Unveiling of the plaque to commemorate George...

1 subject commemorated
Henry Burt

Henry Burt

N22, South Terrace, Alexandra Palace

{A laurel wreath surrounding the entwined letters: H B.} To commemorate the services of Henry Burt, J. P. who was the originator of the ...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator
Network Rail

Network Rail

Government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain. It superseded Railtrack P.L.C.

Group, Transport

9 memorials
Irving

Irving

WC2, Burleigh Street, Lyceum Theatre

Terry, Stoker, Irving - in that sequence L to R.

1 subject commemorated