Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle's 14-bedroom UK mansion fell into ruin after 2004; a £7.5 million rescue turned the abandoned house into a school

A house associated with one of, if not the best, fiction writers in literature went through a period of uncertainty after its life as a hotel ended. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Victorian residence in Hindhead, Surrey, called Undershaw, was left in complete neglect after 2004. A proposed conversion into separate dwellings prompted a legal challenge, and the building eventually found a new purpose as a school for disabled children. According to the Conan Doyle Estate, the work followed a £7.5 million fundraising effort, and the former residence became the home of Stepping Stones School, which had previously operated from a nearby church.A threatened heritage property Conan moved into Undershaw in 1897 and stayed there until 1907, the estate reported. The house was designed to his own specifications, ensuring it accommodated the family’s needs. The residence is anchored by a deep literary legacy, as it was the place where Conan penned the classic work The Hound of the Baskervilles. On top of that, it also served as a host to other great writers, J. M. Barrie and Bram Stoker, whose works included Peter and Wendy and Dracula, respectively.Subsequently, the property changed hands following Conan Doyle’s departure; it was rented out and eventually sold in 1920. After he died in 1930, the historic significance of the building survived and by 1924, it was converted into a hotel and remained so until 2004.The closure left the property vulnerable. The Conan Doyle Estate’s account states that it underwent extensive deterioration, with windows damaged and a roof through which daylight leaked. The building’s condition became a central concern as proposals emerged to redevelop it for housing.The New York Times reported in 2012 that the redevelopment approval had been overturned by the High Court. If the plan had gone through, then it would have divided Undershaw into three separate buildings and an additional five more. The legal challenge was brought by supporters who sought to protect the building, including the Undershaw Preservation Trust.The same report highlights the court’s decision to quash the redevelopment plans on the grounds that the owners had not properly consulted English Heritage, the organisation in charge of historic buildings. The ruling prevented the approved scheme from proceeding as planned, but it did not settle the property’s long-term future. A borough council lawyer, Bryn Morgan, was wary of the decision and said, “Sadly, the decision by the High Court places the future of the building back in doubt once again. The poor condition of the building will now only get worse.”The dispute received much media spotlight and brought support from literary and cultural figures alike, including Julian Barnes, Ian Rankin, Stephen Fry, Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Gatiss.Restoration of the past and educating the future The next decisive change came in 2014, when David Fiorbes-Nixon purchased Undershaw through the DFM Foundation. Nixon’s son at the time attended Stepping Stones, a nearby school that would eventually occupy the property. According to the Guardian report on 3 April 2014, the purchase concluded a near-decade-long preservation campaign. Stepping Stones offered a practical future for a building whose large rooms could be modified for teaching. The fact that a literary giant’s residence was being turned into a school was very fitting and allowed it to remain in use, rather than being divided into residential units.In the Conan Doyle Estate’s 2017 account, Stepping Stones business Anne Edward explained that much of the original interior was left intact during restoration, including its fireplaces. There was, however, an extension that was done, which provided extra space and reduced the need to alter the building itself.The changes were limited; as per Edward’s account, one wall was removed to connect the extension of the house, while an internal wall was changed. Conan Doyle's former study, where he wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles, became the headteacher's office. His wife's room, noted for its bay windows and views, became the school library. Following the estate’s report, the restored property was nominated for a Surrey Heritage Award, and the winner was announced on 12 April 2017.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.