I turned up an article in the Baltimore Sun about a remarkable man named Paul G. Churchill.
Mr. Churchill, recently deceased, studied Latin and Greek, ultimately earning a Master’s degree. He also served in Vietnam and reached the rank of captain. Following his tour of duty, he began a career as a teacher, first in elementary school and then high school. After retiring he continued to teach as an adjunct professor at a local college.
In addition to teaching, Mr. Churchill’s lifelong passion was Sherlock Holmes, the Victorian era detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He was a member first of the Baker Street Irregulars in New York and then the Six Napoleons in Baltimore, groups dedicated to Holmes. He also co-founded a group called Watson’s Tin Box, named obviously after Holmes’s equally famous sidekick.
What makes this story particularly fascinating is that Mr. Churchill hunted for antique Victorian furniture and other objects in antique shops and on eBay, in order to turn his living room into a copy of Holmes’s flat at 221-B Baker Street in London. Now that’s a literary passion!
I suspect that many people who get interested in Victorian antiques do so through an initial love of Victorian literature. You have perhaps seen my own posts about finding passages that contain descriptions of furniture. I’m inspired now to dig into Sherlock Holmes myself and see what’s there. I’ve read most of it already, but I wasn’t looking specifically for furniture my first time through. But if Mr. Churchill was able to replicate 221-B Baker Street, there must be some detailed descriptions in there. I’ll certainly share what I find.
Another thing about this article. Mr. Churchill shopped eBay. If you search eBay for Victorian furniture, an enormous amount comes up. I know eBay scares a lot of people, and there’s nothing quite like meandering through an antique shop waiting for something to catch your eye. But the internet allows us to widen our gaze dramatically. Just a thought.