Save Undershaw
| Fan Campaign | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Save Undershaw |
| Type of Campaign: | Online petition, protest flash mob, charity fundraising, legal challenge |
| Aims: | To stop the redevelopment of Undershaw House as a modern day dwelling, and to preserve its features. |
| Participants: | The Undershaw Preservation Trust, Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock (TV Series) fans |
| Date Started: | 2010 |
| Fandom: | Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock (TV Series) |
| Campaign Website: | Save Undershaw (archive) |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Save Undershaw fan campaign was a fan campaign in support of the Undershaw Preservation Trust, which aimed to preserve Undershaw House.
Context
Undershaw House was the former home of Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle, in which he wrote many of his most famous works and hosted literary giants from that time such as Bram Stoker. Prior to 2004, Undershaw House had served as a hotel, but after the hotel closed, Undershaw House was left derelict. In 2006, proposals were made to convert the property into several flats, which were stalled while the Victorian Society applied to English Heritage for emergency Grade I listing. In 2010, the owner had offered to sell it for £1.5 million as an alternative to redevelopment, but Waverly Borough Council declined to buy it, and other interested parties such as Doyle's descendants were unable to afford the price tag.
Fan Campaign
The Undershaw Preservation Trust was founded by author and Sherlockian John Gibson in response to the decision to redevelop Undershaw as residential properties. The foundation was met with avid support from both fans of the traditional Sherlock Holmes books and films and fans of the newer Sherlock (TV Series). As the trust began to mount legal proceedings against Waverly Borough Council, fans and supporters of the campaign began running their own events to raise awareness and funds for the cause.
Online Events and Projects
BBC Sherlock Fashion Awards
During Sherlock Holmes week in August 2012, fans were also invited to take part in the BBC Sherlock Fashion Awards 2012, in support of Save Undershaw. The contest was supported by fan blog Sherlockology, and entries were judged by BBC Sherlock's costume designer Sarah Arthur. Entries came from all over the world, and the winners were published on Catwalk Queen.
Sherlock Community Montage
In April, tumblr blog wearsherlock started up the Sherlock Community Montage to raise awareness of the Save Undershaw campaign. Fans would take selfies with signs or placards with the phrase "Save Undershaw", before either uploading them online or sending them directly to the wearsherlock blog. At the end of the project, the wearsherlock moderators were to collate the selfies into a print , and then sold to fund the Save Undershaw campaign. Although the print never materialised, scores of fans took photos and uploaded them to the internet, becoming a very visible representation of Save Undershaw's fannish base.
Other Fan Arts and Crafts
One fannish musician, TheBoomSisters created a song entitled "Arthur" in support of the campaign. The same artist also produced another song, which members of the Save Undershaw campaign ran a cover art contest for. Another artist made a Sherlock teddybear, which was auctioned off to raise funds for the trust. MX Publishing also hosted a "Save Undershaw" poster competition, which invited fans to design posters for the Save Undershaw campaign. A Sherlock Holmes cosplayer also walked around London collecting donations for the Undershaw Preservation Trust, in exchange for selfies with Sherlock Holmes.
Flashmobs and Fannish Gatherings
On April 21st 2012, the Baker Street Babes and fan anotherbohemiansoul organized a flash mob freeze in Trafalgar Square, on the terrace of the National Gallery. Around 70 fans attended, with some cosplaying as the original Victorian Holmes characters, and some as their modern Sherlock equivalents. The fans posed and froze in Trafalgar Square for around five minutes in order to bring awareness to the Save Undershaw cause.[1] Other flash mobs were also arranged by other groups of fans, for example Watson's Warriors in Bologna, Italy, the staff of Sugarhouse Coffee in Utah, USA, the Scandalous Bohemians in Leeds, UK and by the Cercle Holmesien de Paris in Paris, France.
In 2014, scores of Sherlock fans descended on UCL in full traditional Sherlock Holmes cosplay to celebrate the purchase of Undershaw and to raise money for its restoration. This resulted in a Guinness World Record being set for the largest number of Sherlock Holmes cosplayers in one location.
Berlin, Germany
Bologna, Italy
Cheswick, Australia
Cologne, Germany
Leeds, UK
London, UK
London, UK
London, UK (World Record Attempt)
Estonia
New York City, USA
Ontario, Canada
Paris, France
Paris, France
Paris, France
Sussex, UK
Utah, USA
Tennessee, USA
Czech Republic
Books and Literature
Many books were published both to raise funds and to raise awareness of the campaign.
Sherlock's Home: The Empty House
In 2012, fan blog Sherlockology and MX Publishing began soliciting short story and poetry submissions for a book in support of the Undershaw Preservation Trust, named "Sherlock's Home: The Empty House". Fan writers were encouraged to write any kind of short story or poem on Sherlock Holmes "whether it be in the Victorian era, a decade in the 20th century, modern day or even in the future". It took four weeks for the book to be produced, with the first editions being delivered the afternoon before the Undershaw Preservation Trust's appearance in the Hight Court.
The final book had 40 writings chosen from a pool of submission from over 300 authors, and was translated by fans into nine languages including French, German, Russian and Chinese. The front cover depicted four major Sherlock Holmes actors including Benedict Cumberbatch and Jeremy Brett, the first time permission had been given for all four to be pictured together. The profits from the book were donated directly to the Undershaw Preservation Trust, to aid in their legal battle.
Two, To One, Be
The book Two, To One, Be by Carrie Carlson was published in 2014, following the successful purchase of Undershaw. The book collated essays and art from supporters and ambassadors of the campaign to save Undershaw.
Aftermath
In December 2010, the Undershaw Preservation Trust instigated judicial review proceedings at the High Court of Justice in England to try and overturn Waverly Borough Council's decision to allow redevelopment of the property. In 2012, the High Court voided Waverly Borough Council's decision due to legal flaws, and the house was saved.
In 2014, the house was purchased by the DFN Charitable Foundation, who restored the house to its former glory. Although initially supportive, the Undershaw Preservation Trust later withdrew their donation offer after the foundation failed to inform them of revised additions of the restoration plan. In 2015, Gibson attempted to initiate another judicial inquiriy into the plan, but the High Court ruled that the development was lawful. The house was fully restored by 2016, and is now used as a school for disabled children.
News Articles
- Challenge to plans to redevelop Arthur Conan Doyle house fails - The Guardian (2015)
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Undershaw home: Permission granted for judicial review into school redevelopment - GetSurrey (2015)
- Sherlock Holmes Cosplay World Record Attempt - Red Carpet News TV (2014)
- Arthur Conan Doyle's house to be converted into special school - The Guardian (2014)
- Conan Doyle's home saved from redevelopment - The Guardian (2012)
- - Campaign to preserve Conan Doyle's home - The Guardian (2006)
References
- ^ Sherlockian Freeze in Trafalgar Square // For Save Undershaw by the Baker Street Babes, published on Tumblr on April 22nd 2012