Agatha Christie’s Devon

Agatha, her favourite dog, Peter and I, Torquay Harbour. Sculptor, Elisabeth Hadley

Our holiday in Devon developed an Agatha Christie theme, as we visited her birthplace, Torquay; Burgh Island, where she wrote and set two of her novels and Greenway, her beautiful holiday home on the banks of the River Dart.

Greenway, Galmpton, near Brixham. National Trust

Greenway is a lovely Georgian house, smaller than most National Trust venues (booking a car park space is essential). Agatha Christie's parents and grandparents were avid collectors and she carried on the trend, so the house is full of interesting objects, not all of which are attractive!

I particularly enjoyed seeing her dressing room and, of course, her library. Another highlight was a copy of the screenplay signed by David Suchet, of Dead Man's Folly, which is set there and was filmed at Greenway in 2013, the finale to David Suchet’s complete run as Hercule Poirot.

Two aspects at Greenway remained mysteries to me - there’s sparse information about Agatha Christie’s life. And shock, horror! TOO MANY TREES! Is that even possible? Well, yes, if the spectacular views of the River Dart that Christie enjoyed are almost entirely obscured. The trees are magnificent, but skilful pruning would open the vista.

Burgh Island, Devon

There’s no shortage of stunning views of Burgh Island - a small tidal island you can walk to at low tide. When the tide is high there’s a bespoke tractor-like contraption that ferries visitors through the shallow water. Though the crossing takes a mere 5 minutes, we discovered that if you miss one, you may be in for a long wait.

The Burgh Island hotel was built in the late 1920’s by filmmaker, Archibald Nettlefold, and is one of the foremost examples of Art Deco style in Europe. It soon became a venue for the glitterati and past guests include Noel Coward, Winston Churchill and Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, not to mention The Beatles!

As you can imagine, it’s rather pricy and we hoped just to have a drink there but were told they couldn't serve us as there was a function. We're still wondering if that was true or if they just didn't like the cut of our jib! I managed to take photos anyway and David snuck into the Gents, which apparently was very posh!

I read three Agatha Christie whodunnits during our Devon break: And Then There Were None, set on the island, was utterly intriguing. Peril at End House was good but I remembered who dunnit from the film. I loved Dead Man's Folly, having just visited Greenway, which is beautifully evoked.

Undoubtedly they’re easy reads but that’s quite appealing to me these days. And I readily understand how the enduring popularity of her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections have made the queen of crime the bestselling fiction writer of all time.

Do you have a favourite Agatha Christie book or film? Do please share in the comments.