10 Fascinating Facts About Arthur Conan Doyle

1. He Was a Qualified Doctor

Long before Holmes ever picked up a magnifying glass, Arthur Conan Doyle was studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He qualified as a doctor in 1885 and opened a small general practice near Portsmouth. Patients were few and far between, which allowed Doyle to write in the quiet hours—time that would ultimately launch one of literature’s most iconic careers.

2. Sherlock Holmes Was Inspired by a Real Person

Holmes’s legendary powers of deduction were inspired by Doyle’s medical school professor, Dr. Joseph Bell. Bell stunned students by diagnosing illnesses and deducing personal details simply by observing his patients. In one demonstration, he famously determined a man’s occupation and ailment simply by examining his cuffs, hands and boots. Doyle credited Bell with being the model for Holmes, writing that the character “owes his genesis” to him.

3. His Detective Was Nearly Called Something Else

Sherlock Holmes was not the detective’s original name. When Doyle was first developing the character, he named him J. Sheringford Holmes. Over time, the name evolved into the more memorable “Sherlock.” Much of the character’s defining features—his violin playing, chemical expertise, and sidekick Dr. Watson—were there from the start.

4. 221b Baker Street never existed

Sherlock’s residence never actually existed. Doyle was not familiar with London, having visited it only a few times. When it came to choosing where his detective would live, he spread a map of London on a table, closed his eyes and poked a finger down at random, landing on Upper Baker Street. Despite its fictional roots, 221b Baker Street has since become one of the most iconic addresses in all of literature.

221b did not exist. He created it. Sherlockians and Doylians around the world have expended a vast amount of ink and time on where exactly 221b was. It never existed.

Richard Pooley runs the Conan Doyle Estate, and is the step-great-grandson of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

5. He Grew Tired of Sherlock Holmes

Despite Sherlock's popularity, Doyle grew resentful of his fame. He believed that they were cheap detective stories, and wanted to write something grander. So, in 1893, just four years after his creation, Doyle sent Holmes plummeting to his death at the Reichenbach Falls in a story called The Final Problem. The public reaction was instant and furious. Readers wrote angry letters to newspapers and Doyle himself. Some mourned as if a real person had died, wearing black armbands in the street.

6. He Wrote More Than Just Detective Fiction

Though Sherlock Holmes dominates his legacy, Doyle was a prolific and versatile writer. He explored science fiction (The Lost World), historical adventure (Sir Nigel, Micah Clarke), horror, poetry, plays, and even political pamphlets. He viewed the Holmes stories as commercial work, and hoped his more serious fiction would define his literary reputation.

7. He Was Knighted—But Not for Writing

In 1899, the Second Boer War broke out in South Africa, and Doyle volunteered as a civilian doctor with the British army. Here, he witnessed the horrors of war first-hand, treating wounded soldiers in atrocious conditions on the battlefield. His short stint on the front resulted in a new book. Titled The Great Boer War, it provided a detailed patriotic defence of Britain’s actions and would later help earn him a Knighthood from King Edward VII in 1902.

8. Holmes Made a Triumphant Comeback

Despite his creator’s resistance, Holmes returned. In 1901, Sherlock made his long-awaited return to the pages of The Strand Magazine in The Hound of the Baskervilles. This tale of moorland menace was a clever workaround–the story was set well before Holmes’s visit to the Reichenbach Falls. Then, in 1903’s The Adventure of the Empty House, Holmes was officially resurrected when it was revealed that he never actually fell to his death at all. He faked the whole thing, slipping away to dismantle Moriarty’s criminal web in secret. Readers rejoiced—and The Strand saw its circulation soar once again.

9. He Was a Devoted Spiritualist

After suffering personal losses—including the death of his son Kingsley in World War I—Doyle became a vocal proponent of spiritualism, the belief in communication with the dead. He even participated in séances, including one famously intended to help Harry Houdini contact his deceased mother.

Doyle's interest was piqued after the First World War. Ultimately, he wanted to help society try to find meaning in all this death and destruction.

​​Tim Hubbard, creative director and global licensing representative for the Conan Doyle estate

10. He Investigated Real-Life Mysteries

Doyle’s detective instincts weren’t confined to fiction. Most notably, he investigated a real-life criminal case: the wrongful conviction of George Edalji. The son of an Indian-born vicar in Staffordshire, Edalji was convicted of mutilating livestock. Doyle reviewed the evidence and quickly spotted inconsistencies. After consulting with experts, it was determined that a wild dog likely caused the animal injuries. Thanks to Doyle’s legwork, George Edalji was granted a royal pardon, though he received no compensation, and his conviction was never fully overturned.