Christie's Country
Across the English Riviera you will find many locations
linked with Agatha's life and works. Many are easily accessible or open to
the public and all combine to make a visit to the home of the Queen of
Crime a must for all fans.
The Agatha Christie Mile was established in
1990, her centenary year, and marks 11 specific locations along a one mile
route around Torquay seafront, each marked by a centenary plaque.
Grand Hotel
It was here at the Four Star
Grand Hotel that
Agatha and Archie Miller spent their honeymoon night after their wedding
in Bristol on Christmas Eve 1914. Two days later Agatha travelled up to
London with her new husband and waved him goodbye as he set off for war in
France. It was to be 6 months before they would see each other again and
nearly four years before their married life could really begin. The Grand
Hotel now has an Agatha Christie Suite. The hotel's popular restaurant and
bar have fine sea views and are well worth a stop on your tour of the
Agatha Christie Mile.
Agatha enjoyed riding through
Cockington estate.
Visitors today can take a horse and carriage ride through hidden gardens
and along the grand driveway to Cockington Court. In the 1900s, Cockington
Court was home to the Mallocks, friends of the Miller family.
Amateur theatricals were often organised and Agatha was
encouraged to take part in the open air dramatics on the lawns in front
of the house!
Cockington Court and Country Park are open all year round.
Princess Pier
The Agatha Christie Exhibition at
Torquay Museum
includes a delightful image of Agatha as a young lady in her fine,
feathered hat enjoying roller-skating along the pier with her friends.
Skating on the pier cost tuppence and was a noisy and bumpy
affair but incredibly popular!
Princess Gardens
Opened in 1894, the
Princess Gardens
were built to a classic Victorian design with an ornate fountain, rich
flower beds and of course the famous Torbay Palms imported from New
Zealand. Agatha was doubtless a frequent visitor to the gardens and they
featured in the ABC murders.
The Pavilion
This elegant building was opened in 1912 as a grand concert hall.
Agatha had a great love of music and attended many concerts here. In early
1913 she enjoyed a Wagnerian concert with Archie Christie, who she later
married.
Agatha Christie Bust
This bust was crafted and erected in Agatha Christie's centenary
year and is the only one anywhere in the world. It was unveiled by her
daughter, Mrs Rosalind Hicks and is the work of Dutch sculptor Carol Van
Den Boom-Cairns.
The Agatha Christie shop is immediately adjacent to the bust and
stocks a wide range of Agatha Christie books and DVDs available.
The Strand
Always at the heart of Torquay this busy thoroughfare was a popular
meeting place in Agatha's day. Young Agatha would have shopped here with
her mother at the exclusive department store William and Cox, now Hoopers.
Agatha's father was a Fellow of the
prestigious Torquay Natural History Society, which managed the original
collections of the museum, many excavated from Kents Cavern. In 1990 the
museum established the Agatha Christie Exhibition with the help of the
Christie Family. It contains many previously unseen images of the Queen of
Crime and provides a fascinating insight into her life and her works.
Royal Torbay Yacht Club
Torbay boasts some of the finest sailing waters around the UK and
includes in its rich maritime history the first modern day tall ships race
and the 1947 Olympic watersports. In her autobiography Agatha talks fondly
of the club, of which her father Frederick was a prominent member. He
would visit the yacht club daily to play cards, read the newspapers and
chat with friends; a routine that would change in the summer months when
he would devote his time to his role as President of the Torquay Cricket
Club.
Beacon Cove
At the turn of the century, Beacon Cove was known as the Ladies'
Bathing Cove although the men of the Royal Torbay Yacht Club were
regularly seen at the club window, hoping for a glimpse of the female
bathers!
As a teenager Agatha got in to difficulty whilst swimming out from the
cove and was spotted by a boatman who helped her from the water and
returned her to the cove. The Cove is accessed by a footpath behind Living
Coasts and is now a quiet and peaceful place from where to watch the sea
birds preening on nearby rocks.
In the opening chapter of Peril at End House
the
Imperial Hotel
(renamed the Majestic), is described by Hastings as...."In its own grounds
on the headland overlooking the sea. The gardens of the hotel lay below us
freely interspersed with palm treed. The sea was of a deep and lovely
blue." The terrace of the hotel is also the setting for the final chapter
of 'Sleeping Murder', Miss Marple's final mystery. Agatha attended many
social occasions here and the hotel still reflects the elegance and
grandeur of that period.
Experience the ambience and elegance with a delicious afternoon
tea served in the Palm Lounge and enjoy panoramic views over the Bay.
Across the area there are many more places to visit as you follow in the
footsteps of Agatha Christie.
Agatha's father was a fellow of the Natural
History Society and helped finance the excavations.
Kents Cavern
appears as Hempsley Cavern in 'The Man in the Brown Suit', published in
1924, several years before her own interest in archaeology was stimulated
by a trip to the Middle East.
Torquay Station
Marple and Poirot never met in any of the Christie books but in
1990, in celebration of the writer's centenary, the two actors known best
for representing Marple and Poirot, Joan Hickson and David Suchet, met at
Torquay Station. Miss Marple held out her hand and, in his unique style,
Poirot raised it to his lips and kissed it to the delight of the watching
crowd.
Torquay Town Hall
During WW1, the town hall was used as a Red Cross Hospital and when
Agatha joined the Voluntary Aid Detachment she worked here as a nurse. In
1915 she transferred to the dispensary where she acquired her knowledge of
poisons, which later proved such an integral part of her writing. The
public can visit the foyer of the Town Hall which is open during normal
office hours.
All Saints Church Torre
Agatha was baptised at All Saints Church and regularly attended
Sunday services. Her father made a financial donation to the church and
ensured that Agatha was entered in the records as a founder member.
Visitors are welcome and guided tours are available on request.
Telephone 01803 328865.
Built in 1874 for Isaac Singer, creator of the
famous sewing machine, Agatha came to this magnificent mansion to attend
social dances that were held in the lavish ballroom.
Oldway mansion is
open to the public and includes a free exhibition of the Singer family and
the history of the house.
Churston Ferrers, Brixham
Agatha was a frequent visitor to this pretty village, nestled
between Paignton and Brixham, near to her summer residence at Greenway.
She attended St Mary the Virgin Church, which she later helped by endowing
the beautiful stained glass east window. After church Agatha would often
take lunch at Churston Court with Lord and Lady Churston. The Manor is now
a period Inn with a popular bar and restaurant.
Agatha loved train travel. Her journey on the
Orient Express to Baghdad was to inspire her 1934 novel. Hercule Poirot
arrived at Churston Station (named as Nassecombe Station) to join the
mystery in 'Dead Man's Folly'. The station also appears in 'The ABC
Murders'. This
steam railway route
provides an ideal car free route to Greenway with beautiful footpaths from
the station to the house (2 miles).
Greenway, Galmpton
Greenway is a beautiful country house with a woodland garden on the
banks of the River Dart. Of all its well-known owners it is Agatha
Christie who is best known to visitors. She bought the estate in 1938 and
used it as her summer residence until her death in 1976.
Greenway was given to the National Trust by Agatha's daughter and
family in 1999.
The glorious gardens were opened to the
public in 2004 and the trust is now restoring the house and cataloguing
the many personal collections inside. The house opened to the public in
2009.
more information
Telephone 01803 842382
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
|
