A new exhibition at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum is turning visitors into detectives, inviting them into the foggy streets of Victorian London and highlighting the early days of investigative policing in Montreal.
“Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case” opened Nov. 27 and runs until March 8, 2026.
The exhibition explores the life of author Arthur Conan Doyle, the scientific advances that shaped his work, and the legacy of his most famous character.
A section of the “Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case” exhibition is shown at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum on Dec. 2, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
A journey into Holmes’ London
Founded in 1992, Pointe-à-Callière is Canada’s largest archaeology museum. For this exhibition, it has recreated life-size scenes from late 19th-century London, a time when rapid scientific and technological developments transformed criminal investigation.
Visitors follow clues, examine evidence and test their reasoning skills to solve a fictional case inspired by Sherlock Holmes. The museum says the exhibition also features personal belongings from Conan Doyle — some being shown in North America for the first time.
Jenny Jodoin, the exhibition’s project manager, said the goal was full immersion.
“It’s an exhibition on Sherlock Holmes, and in the exhibition, people will discover the famous fictional detective, but they will also discover Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes,” she said. “We also explore London in the 19th century and Montreal in the 19th century and everything that was happening here and in London.
“And then on the second part of the exhibition people will have to solve a crime just like Sherlock Holmes and they will have to collect evidence in a notebook and try to find out what happened.”
Jenny Jodoin, project manager for the Sherlock Holmes exhibition at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum, is pictured on Dec. 2, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
She said the installation is designed to transport visitors.
“It’s a really immersive exhibition. We have life-size scenery, so people will feel that they are in London in the 19th century. And we really wanted to immerse our visitors.”
Jodoin added that the exhibition appeals to both newcomers and longtime fans.
“People should come to discover the character of Sherlock Holmes if they don’t know him, which most people know him. But also to discover his author and what inspired the author to create Sherlock Holmes,” she said.
A display inside the Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case exhibition is seen at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum on Dec. 2, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Montreal’s early detective work takes the spotlight
The exhibition also highlights the rise of investigative policing in Montreal at the turn of the 20th century. As the city confronted organized crime, the red-light district and the opium trade, police began adopting methods developed in Europe.
A display inside the Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case exhibition is seen at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum on Dec. 2, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
The era saw the creation of the Montreal Detective Bureau and the first forensic science laboratory in North America. Visitors also learn about Silas Carpenter, a Quebec detective often compared to Holmes.
“In the exhibition, people will discover a story about Montreal that most people don’t know,” Jodoin said. “We have a section about Montreal in the 19th century, about the development of police work here. People will discover that we had detectives here and that we even had our own Sherlock Holmes. His name is Silas Carpenter.”
A display inside the Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case exhibition is seen at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum on Dec. 2, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Jodoin said the museum wanted to highlight the strong historical ties between London and Montreal.
“When we first started to work on the exhibition, we discovered that all the innovations happening in London in terms of police work were also happening here in Montreal,” she said. “We thought this was really interesting and not well known to the public.”
Jodoin said the connection between the two cities was also central to the museum’s vision for the exhibition.
“The reason why we wanted to do this exhibition is of course because Sherlock Holmes is the most famous fictional detective in the world, but also because the stories of Sherlock Holmes were read here in Montreal at the same time, almost at the same time that they were published in London, and because Arthur Conan Doyle came to Canada a few times, he came to Montreal,” she said.
A display inside the Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case exhibition is seen at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum on Dec. 2, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
A deep dive into Holmes’ world
Jodoin said the exhibition is intended to be both educational and hands-on.
“The goal, of course, it’s to educate, to share content. But it’s also on the second section. There’s an interactive section, so it’s to have a fun experience also. But of course the goal is to share content and to explore the world of Sherlock Holmes.”
A poster for the Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case exhibition is seen at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum on Dec. 2, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
She added that the exhibition is designed for all ages and levels of familiarity with Holmes.
“The exhibition is really a deep dive into the world of Sherlock Holmes,” she said. “It’s for kids, adults, everyone who loves Sherlock Holmes, even people who don’t know him. So it’s really an exhibition for everyone.”
Jodoin said visitors can expect rare and meaningful artifacts.
“I will say that it’s an exhibition full of surprises, but also an exhibition with really unique objects, like personal objects from the author, Arthur Conan Doyle — his desk also. And it’s the first time that these objects are reunited since the death of the author,” she said.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s desk is displayed as part of the Sherlock Holmes exhibition at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum on Dec. 2, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
She added that the two-section structure helps visitors move from history into hands-on deduction.
“The exhibition is in two sections. So we have a first section about historical content where we will see artifacts about Sherlock Holmes, about the author, and also about London and Montreal in the 19th century. So that’s really interesting. And then we have a second section where it’s interactive and people will have to try to solve a case, just like Sherlock Holmes.”
A display inside the Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case exhibition is seen at the Pointe-à-Callière Museum on Dec. 2, 2025. (Adriana Gentile, CityNews)
Jodoin added that several of the author’s belongings appear together for the first time in decades.
“This is really special, and people should come to see the exhibition to see those objects,” she said.
Activities and events
Several activities will accompany the exhibition, including:
- Holidays on the Pointe (Dec. 27–30, 2025; Jan. 2–3, 2026)
- Nuit blanche (Feb. 28, 2026)
- Spring Break: Little Sherlocks (Feb. 28–March 6, 2026)
The museum will also host lectures on Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and Montreal detective Silas Carpenter.
Free booklets for youth and general audiences will be available to guide visitors through the experience.
