The Case of the Abbey Treasure

From 1932 to 2002 the main premises of the Abbey National Building Society, Abbey House, were located at 219-229 Baker Street, London. The company - now part of the Santander Group - has therefore long had an association with Holmes, and for many years a secretary was employed specifically to respond to mail addressed to him (in 1983 it was an estimated 30 letters a week). Enquiries were fended off with a statement that "Sherlock Holmes has now retired and lives in Sussex, cultivating his roses, and therefore can't take up your case." The bank funded and commissioned sculpter John Doubleday to produce a three-metre (9.8 ft) high bronze statue of Holmes as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations; unveiled in September 1999 it stands outside Baker Street tube station on Marylebone Road.