To be where Cumberbatch has been

When I was commanded by my higher-ups to take the Sherlock: Bristol Locations Trail, a new walking tour that takes Sherlock superfans to each location in Bristol where Cumberbatch and co. filmed the beloved television show, my heart sank.

I am, unfortunately, one of the few people who isn’t particularly fond of the the BBC series (due, in part, to reading a loathsome Benedict Cumberbatch fanfiction, the details of which I would prefer not to discuss). However, I put on a stiff upper lip and headed out.

My first stop was Arnos Vale cemetary, where, according to my handy printable Sherlock: Bristol Locations Trail map, the anti-social detective visited the grave of Emilia Ricoletti in The Abominable Bride, the Sherlock special that broke records over the 2015 winter holidays.

I spoke with a volunteer receptionist who had never heard of the walking trail. She quickly phoned the cemetery’s public engagement manager, Janine Marriott. (Who knew cemeteries had public engagement managers?) As it turned out, she also hadn’t heard of this particular bit of Bristol screen tourism, but she remembered when Benedict and his crew descended on the cemetery. 

“We weren’t allowed on site,” she said. “It was all very clandestine.” The receptionist agreed.

The rest of the trail required me to head into the city, so I attempted to catch a bus to the centre. Unfortunately, whilst moodily staring out the window of the non-moving bus, I realised I could have walked there more quickly. My thoughts turned to the mountain of work on my desk. 

“Cumberbatch,” I cursed under my breath.

Finally, I arrived at my stop and skittered over to King Street just as rain began to fall. I snapped a photo of the old avenue, noting on my map that this location had also been used for the £21 million grossing The Abominable Bride. For the episode, the street had been transformed into Victorian London with a little help from a green screen. 

I crossed the way to Queen Square, another The Abominable Bride location, where Emilia Ricoletti shot at passers-by. The square was also used as the exterior of The Diogenese Club in the same episode. The green space was mostly bare, with a few stragglers racing across the road and a lone dog, untethered, playing fetch with his owner.

On the other side of the city centre, I attempted to locate Cathedral Square. Google Maps was confused by my request, and kept attempting to send me to Cathedral Walk instead. The spot was also apparently used for a scene in The Abominable Bride, in which The Bride takes revenge on her husband outside an opium den.

I took a snapshot of the Cathedral’s gardens through some bars, hoping I had located the correct spot.

To make sure, though, I went inside to ask the receptionist, a sweet older man with wild eyebrows. He studied the map, squinting with confusion.

“It must be the car park,” he said. “Yes, I do believe it must be the car park.”

I snapped a picture of the car park, just in case, though I had difficulty imagining the stately parking lot as having anything to do with opium.

With my time running short, I decided to visit only one last location. I strode quickly to Colston Hall, another The Abominable Bride set piece. A receptionist, also named Alison, shook her head when I asked if she’d heard of the walking trail. 

“No, I haven’t,” she said timidly. “But I only work here part-time.” She phoned marketing. They also hadn’t heard of the trail.

I asked her if anyone could even visit the filming location, which was in the Victorian cellars of the hall. 

“There’s an exhibition on now,” she said, referring to the eerie Requiem for 114 Radios. “So if someone wanted to see the cellars, we would need to get someone from security to take you down.” 

She explained that if any Cumberfans wanted to see the actual location, they could come during the opening hours of the exhibition or ask the Hall in advance. 

I attempted to visit the cellars with a Colston Hall employee. I waited for her by the downstairs bathrooms for what seemed like hours as I attempted to avoid the inquisitive eye of the janitor. Alas, when Charlie returned, she told me her boss had nixed the downstairs visit. Shame.

Upon leaving Colston Hall, I gasped at the time. I ran to the bus stop (which is a difficult thing in a pencil skirt and oxfords, let me tell you) and, upon arriving at Temple Meads, sprinted all the way back to the Paintworks.

I arrived at the office, damp from rain and sweat, I realised I had a mere hour left to complete my extensive to-do list. I raised my fist and cursed once again: “Cumberbatch!”

Read more: Sherlock filming in Bristol