- Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the
Marylebone district of theCity of Westminster inLondon . It forms part of the A41. It is most famous for its connection to the fictional detectiveSherlock Holmes , who lived at221B Baker Street , an address that does not actually exist. The street is named for builder William Baker who laid the street out in the eighteenth century. It was originally a high class residential address, but now is mainly occupied by commercial premises.Baker St is in postcode areas NW1/W1 and is a busy thoroughfare. It runs south from
Regent's Park , the intersection with Park Road, parallel toGloucester Place , intersectingMarylebone Road ,York Street ,Portman Square andWigmore Street . At the intersection with Wigmore St, Baker St turns into Orchard Street, which ends when it intersects withOxford Street .The street is served by the
London Underground byBaker Street tube station ; next to the station isTransport for London 'slost property office. Baker Street Station is the world's first underground station.A significant robbery of a
Lloyds Bank took place on Baker Street in 1971.Notable residents
In 1835, the first permanent exhibition of
Madame Tussauds waxworks was opened on Baker St. The museum moved, just around the corner, to Marylebone Road in 1884.In 1940 the headquarters of the
Special Operations Executive moved to64 Baker Street ,Marks and Spencer office; they were often called the "Baker Street Irregulars " after Sherlock Holmes's gang of street urchins of the same name.The Beatles Apple Corp was based at 94 Baker Street,The head office of
Marks and Spencer , formerly the UK's largest retailer, was at "Michael House" (named in parallel with the group's "St Michael" brand) in Baker Street for many years until the company relocated to thePaddington Basin in 2004. This was one of the best known corporate buildings in the UK. It is expected that Michael House will be demolished and replaced with a new mixed use development.British singer
Dusty Springfield lived on Baker St in the 1960s.Media references
In fiction,
Sherlock Holmes ,DangerMouse ,Sexton Blake , Basilthe Great Mouse Detective andJames Black (Case Closed) have all resided along the road.“Baker Street” was a song by
Gerry Rafferty , released in 1978; the song is particularly noted for its saxophone solo.The original title of "A Samba for Sherlock", by
Jô Soares , makes a mention to the street: "O Xangô de Baker Street".The street was also mentioned by the
progressive rock band Jethro Tull in the song "Baker Street Muse" and byH.G. Wells at the end of "The War of the Worlds ".The 2008 film,
The Bank Job was based on the 1971 robbery ofLloyds Bank in Baker Street.ee also
*
Baker Street tube station
*64 Baker Street - headquarters of the SOE
*221B Baker Street - Sherlock Holmes's residence
*Baker Street Irregulars - Holmes's urchin detectives
*List of eponymous roads in London
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