It’s February and love is in the air. So, let’s discuss the woman who truly mattered to Sherlock Holmes, Mrs. Hudson. The stalwart landlady of 221B Baker Street and both Holmes and Watson. She fed them, made sure their rooms were tidy and even assisted Sherlock in capturing the infamous Colonel Sebastian Moran in The Adventure of the Empty House by moving a bust of Holmes every quarter of an hour to make it look like the detective himself was moving about the room. This after Holmes sent her into “violent hysterics” by announcing his return. Even when he terrified her by rising from the dead, as it were, the levelheaded mistress of Baker Street willingly embroiled herself in intrigue and danger. For a woman of mystery, Mrs. Hudson has had her fair share of mysteries in novels by Michelle Birkby, Susan Knight and Wendy Heyman-Marsaw.
In The Adventure of the Naval Treaty, Homes describes his landlady as such “Her cuisine is a little limited, but she has as good an idea of breakfast as a Scotchwoman.” Still, that didn’t stop Mrs. Hudson from bringing up hearty breakfasts for both Holmes and Watson, mostly Watson. Or offering to fix sandwiches or bring up tea for the men and sometimes their guests.
Mrs. Hudson has appeared in numerous films and television adaptations, including both the Rathbone and Brett series and more recently in both the Robert Downey Jr. version and the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes. As well as a brief appearance in Elementary. While Baker Street is where Holmes and Watson call home, it is Mrs. Hudson to whom the address truly belongs. Even in fandom, Mrs. Hudson is the one person everyone can agree that they like equally, a fair feat for a fandom that has a multitude of opinions.
Nobody knows her Christian name, or where she came from before she took care of the occupants of Baker Street and that’s part of the intrigue. Mrs. Hudson is an open book, one that we know has a greater amount of fortitude than most women in the Victorian Era. And by now it’s common knowledge that Holmes appreciates women with a bit of moxie.
No matter if it's 1895 or 2025, if there is anything we truly know about Sherlock Holmes, it’s that he would be utterly lost without Mrs. Hudson.
