London is riddled with famous historical and fictional locations, but few blend mythos and reality like Baker Street. Of course, the street is most well known for being the home of Holmes and Watson, but modern Baker street and the area around it are much more diverse, and it holds a lot to see for locals, travellers and business people alike. Whether you’re planning a trip to London or passing through, we’ve collected some of the most important information you’ll need to know to put visitors on the right path.
Getting to Baker Street
Many bus routes will take you Baker Street, so we’d recommend you use Citymapper to look up the best route from wherever your starting point. Baker Street is also easily accessible by train or tube. The tube station itself is found at the junction of Baker Street and Marylebone Road in Westminster. Located in Fare Zone 1, it can be accessed through the Bakerloo, Jubilee, Circle, Hammersmith, and Metropolitan lines. You’ll also find it’s within suitably close reach of Marylebone, Euston and Paddington National Rail stations.
The History of Baker Street
Named after its original builder, William Baker, who set out the foundations in the 18th century, Baker Street has undergone many additions and transformations over the years. The most common of these were designed to simply bring it up to modern standards and codes, though the actual limits of the road have remained mostly unchanged save for a slight extension.
Aside from the obvious inclusion of Holme’s fictitious residence at 221B Baker Street, real historical events on Baker Street include the formation of the Beatles’ Apple Boutique in 1967 and a robbery at Lloyds Bank in 1971. It was also home to the first Madame Tussauds in 1835, though this was moved around the corner to Marylebone Road in 1884.
Baker Street Today
The Home of Creative Business
Contemporary Baker street has moved from it’s past of upper-class housing into a primarily commercial district. Many of these businesses have a local focus, and there’s a decent number of particularly creative industries to be found here.
Perhaps one of the more surprising in this regard is Evolution Games, a company that focusses on developing live casino games. As one of the world’s most highly esteemed on this front, Evolution serves some of the biggest online casino operators, who provide their roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and Deal or No Deal games to users via sophisticated online systems. In a more direct sense, the following recommendations are ones that are consistently highly rated.
Meanwhile, advertising and communications are well represented here. For example, take a stroll down the street and you’re likely to bump into the various branches of the Publicis Group at number 82 and other such agencies also producing highly sought-after marketing content.
A Museum Hotspot
We know, we said Baker’s has more to offer than just Sherlock’s home, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid the great detective completely. The Sherlock Holmes Museum is built off of the setting as revealed in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous series, with great care having been put into capturing period-accurate décor, and in reflecting Holme’s eccentricities.
As a worldwide oddity and phenomenon, Madam Tussauds (formerly Tussaud’s) has proved successful enough to keep their doors open for nearly 200 years. Founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud, Madame Tussauds might have moved slightly from their original location, but the appeal remains. With wax sculptures of many famous figures throughout history, as well as popular celebrities from the past and present, Tussauds is fun, memorable, and, sometimes, a little off-putting.
The Bookworm’s Delight
Literature from and based on London is one of the best contributions that England has given the world, and what better way to celebrate this than by stopping by one of the world’s most engaging book shops. Found nearby at 84 Marylebone Street, this Daunt Books location is a great place to pick up a memento for explorers of all ages.
The Gastronomic Tour
On a simple walk down Baker street proper, the most standout aspect is undoubtedly the food. With an enormous variety which reflects London’s cosmopolitan makeup, there’s something here for everyone, and then some more. From Indian to American, Japanese to Portuguese, and vegan to fast-food, nobody taking this trip needs to miss out.
While these are some of our picks for the best places to stop, shop or consider around Baker’s street, they only scratch the surface of what the location has to offer. Whether you have an hour free for some food, or an entire day to explore, Baker street and its surrounding area in Westminster is one of London’s greatest gems. Just be sure to watch the clichés, as in our experiences, the locals have heard them all before.