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Statue of a man wearing a cap with a church in the background

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes


The statue of famous detective character Sherlock Holmes stands at the top of Broughton Street, near author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s birthplace on Picardy Place.


Born in 1859, Doyle studied at the University of Edinburgh’s medical school where he was taught by the man that inspired his most famous character. Dr Joseph Bell was a tutor at the medical school, well-known for his observational skills and logical thinking in deciding diagnoses for patients. In fact, Doyle’s portrayal of Bell through Sherlock Holmes was so clear, that Robert Louis Stevenson (who had also studied under Bell), wrote to Doyle complementing his books, and asking regarding Holmes “…can this be my old friend Joe Bell?”


The Sherlock Holmes statue was unveiled in 1991. It is interesting to find a statue commemorating a beloved character rather than their creator, but there is a parallel with the Scott Monument, which is decorated with multiple statues of characters from Scott’s works as well as other literary figures.