You wrote:
‘There’s an old line from Sherlock Holmes that comes to mind in talking to watson he says “your mind is like a lumber room, things wanted always buried.”’

I think that’s actually a quote from the Lord of the Rings, Gandalf mentions this about Barliman Butterbur at the Council of Elrond (and not in Barley’s presence, so it’d be “his” mind, instead of “your”). Tolkien might have nicked it from sir Conan Doyle, but somehow I doubt that… 🙂