Okay, so there's this little game going around the internet today, offering a choice of a bunch of houses full of people to be quarantined with. It all looked like some weird time-travel episode of Big Brother, but to me when they asked "Which house would you be quarantined in?" I immediately thought of actual houses and not the people in them. Of course, let me put a part of "actual" houses in quotes.
I mean, consider this choice of houses:
Baskerville Hall
The Cedars
Poldhu Cottage
Holdernesse Hall
The Little Ryder Street apartment of Nathan Garrideb
Chequers
Okay, so they aren't all exactly "houses." But there's some variety there, the like a good rental property, we're going to say you don't have to see the owners during your stay. (Unless you really want to, or need concierge service.) Some have actual museums worth of things of interest, at least one is nice and remote, a couple have historic value . . . and that's just a sampling of what's available in terms of real estate from the Sherlock Holmes stories. You might even have a favorite of your own that's not on the list.
But don't say "Baker Street" . . . you're not kicking Holmes and Watson out for your social isolation. No Sussex Downs either -- especially not Sussex Downs. The point is social distancing, and if Holmes and Watson are around you're going to want to get in their space, and if you do that when Holmes is retired and heading toward "elderly," we're all going to be pretty mad at you. Let your mind wander the Canon a bit.
Appledore Towers would be full of interesting reading once you got that safe open. Caulfield Gardens is in a neighborhood with parties and music. Ridling Thorpe Manor has a lovely tennis lawn. Old Trevor's place in Donnithorpe has that "small but select library" that one wonders about, as well as fishing, duck hunting, and a tolerable cook. Holmes's Tripadvisor rating might count for something, but that guy also stayed in a stone hut on Dartmoor without complaint. (The stone hut on Dartmoor is probably not on anyone's list.)
So what house would you choose, from all of the Canon? There are some real choice selections there!
Birlstone Manor - has a moat with a drawbridge - perfect for social distancing!
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