Sherlock and The Lie of Leinster Gardens

I love it when real locations are woven into programmes I love, so when in London at the weekend visiting the Museum of Brands near Notting Hill with a friend, we thought we'd quickly look up the existence of the shrouded mainline underbelly of Leinster Gardens, as featured in Sherlock Series 3 episode His Last Vow. So it unravelled that the building not only existed, but was only a short hop from our ramblings, so ramble we did, in the footsteps of Sherlock, and the BBC production crew...

My picture of 23-24 Leinster Gardens,
taken by the light of the mysterious moon

Mary: "Where are you?"

Sherlock: "Can't you see me?"

Mary: "Well what am I looking for?"

Sherlock: "The lie, the lie of Leinster Gardens, hidden in plain sight. Hardly anyone notices, people live here for years and never see it. But if you are what I think you are, it'll take you less that a minute. The houses Mary, look at the houses."

Mary: "How did you know I'd come here?

Sherlock: "I knew you'd talk to the people no one else would bother with."

Mary: "I thought I was being clever."

Sherlock: "You're always being clever Mary, I was relying on that. I planted the information for you to find, 30 seconds..."

Mary: "...What am I looking at?"

Sherlock: "No doorknobs, no letterbox, painted windows, 23 and 24 Leinster Gardens; the empty houses. They were demolished years ago to make way for the London underground, the vent for the old steam trains. Only the very front still remains, it's just a facade. Remind you of anyone, Mary?"

Excerpt from Sherlock Series 3 Episode 3, His Last Vow

Watson starts piecing together Mary's involvement in the puzzle as she follows her nose to the lie of
Leinster Gardens, as set up by Sherlock. (Featuring Amanda Abbington and Martin Freeman)

Granted there isn't actually much to see, but it is really quite goose-pimply spotting the ghostly frost of the windowed face, knowing that it is both dead behind the eyes, as well as a deadly drop to the rail lines.

So practice your narrowed deducing eyes, grab your deerstalker and get yourself down to 23-24 Leinster Gardens (closest tube is Bayswater) and take in a little bit of London legend and get just a little bit excited to know you are standing where Sherlock devised, manipulated and divulged with the mask of Benedict Cumberbatch*.



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*Just don't get run over trying to get a selfie, kids. Sherlock would not approve...

Further links:

• BBCs Sherlock site