University of Winchester professor reveals hidden secrets of Sherlock Holmes A decade of work by a University of Winchester lecturer into the life of literary icon Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and his creation Sherlock Holmes, has been recognised as world-leading. Professor Neil McCaw’s work is one of a number of research projects at the University of Winchester to receive endorsement from the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). The aim of the framework is to benchmark the performance of universities and is used to allocate around £2 billion per year in future research funding. In 2005, Professor McCaw was appointed as the Academic Director of The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection – the largest collection of Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes memorabilia in the world. Ten years on, his research into the treasure-trove has uncovered previously unknown facts about Conan Doyle. The focus of Professor McCaw’s research has been the cultural influence, significance and literary effects of the work of Conan Doyle and crime and detective fiction. He sifted through more than 60,000 previously unlisted and disorganised materials to catalogue and assess their previously unseen secrets. “The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection is one of the most remarkable collections of its kind in the world,” said Professor McCaw. “Its been my good fortune to have played a small role in helping to make it accessible to the wider world. “Its yet more fortunate that the REF has recognised my work in doing so, bearing in mind working on the project was a labour of love from the outset.” His work has significantly enhanced the understanding and appreciation of the international fascination with Sherlock Holmes and how this articulates and intersects with various national and ethnic identities. The result has been a series of museum exhibitions starting in Conan Doyle’s home city of Portsmouth and touring world-wide, reaching more than 350,000 detective fans to date. The Case of the Portsmouth Doctor exhibition has taken artefacts from the Conan Doyle Collection to France, Japan and Germany. The award-winning exhibition A Study in Sherlock has been on display at Portsmouth Central Museum since 2008. Professor McCaw has also led educational projects, spoken at conferences overseas and helped to shape the tourism and cultural strategy of Portsmouth City Council. “There is still much more to be done, and work is already underway to develop further exhibitions, both in the UK and abroad, as well as a fully interactive international tourist attraction based around Sherlock Holmes,” added Professor McCaw. “Hopefully this will bear fruit over the coming years.” 82 per cent of the University of Winchester’s research submitted to the REF were considered to be of quality that is ‘recognised internationally’ or better in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 14:04:02 +0000
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