Gareth Bacon MP, on behalf of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London is delighted to announce that The Society’s Seventy Second Annual Dinner will be held in the Members’ Dining Room at the House of Commons, London, on Saturday 24 January 2026, at 6.30 for 7.30 pm.  

The title assigned to this year’s function is THE NORWOOD NOSH.  We are much indebted to Gareth Bacon MP, who has kindly agreed to act as our sponsor as a sitting Member of Parliament, a requirement for all functions held in this unique venue.  We look forward to welcoming both him and many of our Honorary Members, as well as members of the Society from all over the world. 

The decision of the House of Commons is that the seating capacity of the Members’ Dining Room shall be limited and has restricted our numbers to 170.  We know that there is significant interest from our members in attending this event and it is possible that we will be oversubscribed.  Members may only invite one guest each. The closing date for applications, is Friday 19 December.  

As last year, bookings will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.  Please book using Mycroft if at all possible.  A manual booking form is attached in case that is not possible.  If you book and pay successfully on Mycroft – you have your places.  Tickets and further information will be sent electronically closer to the event, see below.  Please ensure your email address is correct on your record.  Should all places be sold out, Mycroft will offer you the option to be placed on a waiting list.  We will contact you if places then become available.  Payment in sterling only please.  If you encounter any problems, please email the Meetings Secretary.  

The charge for the evening will be £125.00 per head, inclusive of everything except drinks which must be paid for individually on the night. 

Our guest speaker is writer, broadcaster and journalist Matthew Sweet, perhaps best-known at the moment for his work with Mark Gatiss on the recent television serial Bookish.  His career has been influenced by his fascination with film and television history.  A trainee Arts correspondent at The Independent On Sunday in 1998, he found himself interviewing both international movie stars and British household names.  In 2005, he joined the presenting team on BBC2’s The Culture Show, profiling subjects ranging from the life of Michael Palin to Doctor Who.  Matthew is also a regular presenter of BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking, where he discusses a range of thought-provoking subjects with a panel of leading thinkers, subjects as diverse as Tchaikovsky to The Goodies.  His other Radio 3 venture is The Sound of Cinema, where he celebrates the well-loved music of the movies, while on Radio 4 he presents The Philosopher’s Arms.  Matthew has written a number of books, including in 2005 Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema, for which he interviewed some of those who had worked in the period, now well into their nineties or had even reached 100.   He has written and presented a number of documentaries for the BBC, including.  Silent Britain, Shepperton Babylon (based on his book of the same name) and Truly, Madly, Cheaply!: British B Movies.  In his spare time, he has judged the Costa Book Award, edited The Woman in White for Penguin Classics and was Series Consultant on the Showtime/Sky Atlantic series Penny Dreadful.

We are delighted that Matthew has found time in his busy schedule to be our guest speaker for The Norwood Nosh.  He will, perhaps, be focussing less on the building trade and more on his forte – the silent cinema and the work of Eille Norwood.

The menu for the Dinner is as follows:- 

Feta and courgette potato cakes, with cumin and nibbed almonds, chimmi churri dressing, romesco, and Salamanca olives

Star anise spiced supreme of Gressingham duck, confit leg spring roll, wilted bok choi, char grilled baby fennel, and pomegranate

Pecan tart: toasted pecans layered with caramel, on a crunchy base, topped milk chocolate and pecan praline

Coffee and petits fours

Vegetarian alternatives can be provided.  Please advise any dietary requirements when booking.

Copies of the House of Commons wine list will be sent to all successful applicants so that they can order in advance: we have found that this gives everyone more time to mingle with friends in the bar beforehand – although you will be able to place an order on the night if you prefer. 

The Dinner is a formal occasion and it is customary for gentlemen to wear dinner jackets (black tie) and for ladies to wear evening dress (short or long) but this is not obligatory. Visitors from overseas in particular may not wish to bring dress clothes for only one evening and we should like to assure them that dark lounge suits and cocktail frocks are equally suitable. 

Security at the House of Commons is necessarily strict, and admission will be by formal invitation only.  For this reason, we need to know the full name of your guest if you are bringing one.  Successful applicants will receive personalised invitations which will have to be produced to the police on the night in order to gain entrance to the building.  The House has agreed that we can use electronic invitations for the Annual Dinner.  In consequence, we will forward the invitations by email, so parties can either print them off to produce them on the day or use an electronic version.  Individual invitations, for each diner, will be sent by email – if the booking is for two people, two invitations will be sent.  If your account email is not the one which should be used for the invitation, for some reason, please let the Meetings Secretary know.  If an applicant does not have an email address, paper invitations will be sent by post.

On the night you will also need to bring photo ID such as a passport or photo driving licence.

Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is not permitted in any rooms, including the pre-prandial bar and the Dining Room itself.

The House only accepts contactless payments for drinks on the night.

The Meetings Secretary’s e mail address is:           shslmeetings@sherlock-holmes.org.uk

The Society likes to keep a record of its activities, including photographs of our meetings which are published in the Journal and on the Society’s website/Facebook page.  If you do not want to appear in a Society photograph, please avoid being in any posed photographs and advise one of the meeting organisers.

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