Get Closer To Dame Agatha Christie...

English crime novelist, Agatha Christie, was born in the Devon seaside town of Torquay in 1890. Set in what is often called The English Riviera, Torquay boasts a multitude of Agatha Christie themed events and places of interest.

Christie is best known for her 66 detective novels surrounding fictional detectives Poirot and Miss Marple, with tours around Torquay and South Devon offering fans the chance to walk in the famous author’s footsteps.

A walk through Torquay will take you past the original Majestic Hotel (also known as the Imperial Hotel) that features in ‘The Body in the Library’ and ‘Peril At End House’. Fans of Christie’s ‘The ABC Murders’ can take a trip on the train to Churston Station, and a jaunt down to Elberry Cove, both of which feature in the story. The inspiration for Hempsley Cavern in ‘The Man in the Brown Suit’ was provided by Agatha Christie’s visits to Kents Cavern in Torquay.

For more information download this PDF provided by The English Riviera website.

Writing Places, in association with Literature Works, frequently offers budding writers, and lovers of literature, a chance to become inspired by some of the most famous literary places in the South West of England.

In Galmpton, 6 miles from the centre of Torquay, sits Agatha Christie’s holiday home ‘Greenway’. This is where her and her family went to relax beside the River Dart, away from the prying eyes of her adoring public. There they would play on the lawns in the sunshine, or relax with one of Christie’s first manuscripts in the drawing room.

The National Trust has a range of activities at Greenway for Agatha Christie fans, from writers’ workshops and ranger walks, to volunteering to keep the garden there looking weed-free and beautiful. If you ever visit South Devon in September you will not be without some Agatha Christie inspired fun!

Throughout September, the month Christie was born, the biennial International Agatha Christie Festival will be held at Torre Abbey.

From the website:

“This year’s International Agatha Christie Festival transforms Torre Abbey’s historic house and gardens into five days of eclectic and unexpected stories, song, dance, extraordinary objects from ordinary lives, provocative lectures and other amazing journeys.

All the while, enjoy tea on the lawn, find other more adventurous and mysterious places to stretch out, curl up, and conjure up the missing clue…”

Buy your tickets for the event HERE.