In the footsteps of Murder, Mystery, and Miss Marple
An Agatha Christie tour of Torquay!
As I stare up at the Imperial hotel, I’m not entirely convinced it has maintained the ‘grandeur and elegance’ associated with Agatha Christie as the map states, in fact it looks more like an old hospital building, complete with building works to the front… Maybe the interior is where the elegance comes to life?
Background:
Torquay is a typical British seaside town, with a promenade lined with beach huts, small harbour, and beautiful sea view. However, it also holds a secret for those willing to look beyond the surface… Torquay was once home to the best selling novelist of all time, best known for her works of murder mystery and characters; detective Poirot and the wonderful Miss Marple- Agatha Christie herself. The even better news is that along the coastline you can follow in the footsteps of the author herself and visit significant locations not only in her personal life but also ones that inspired the books themselves. You can also add on a visit to Christie’s personal home now in the care of the National Trust and just a 25 minute drive up the coastline from Torquay.
The Agatha Christie Mile:
The Agatha Christie Mile is the main route through Torquay that will lead you to all the various Christie inspired locations as well as providing a great opportunity to explore Torquay. You can find the route I followed along with several facts about Christie here. Alternatively keep reading to discover my experience following the trail.
Trail points:
Torquay train station- In the 1990 version of the Orient Express where Miss Marple and Poirot met face to face- they never met in the books!
Grand Hotel- Where Agatha and her husband spent their honeymoon.
Torre Abbey- Oldest building in Torquay and home of the Agatha Christie festival every September.
The Princess Pier and Gardens- Where Agatha enjoyed roller-skating as a young girl.
Millennium Footbridge- Completed in 2003 which imitates the sails of a ship
Beacon Hill- Home to the Yacht club where Christie’s father was a prominent member.
Imperial Hotel- Built in 1866, it masqueraded as the ‘Majestic’ in Peril at End house and the terrace also appeared in Sleeping Murder.
(Additional detour step) Beacon Cove- Where Agatha swam with the ladies bathing group and also where she almost drowned as a young teenager.
Torquay Museum- Devon’s oldest museum and home to the Agatha Christie Gallery.
Statue of Agatha- The only bronze bust of Agatha Christie created in 1990.
My experience following the trail:
Parking up at the train station (TQ2 6NU) -the first stop on the trail- I was already feeling slightly flustered from a combination of the sunny day and an accidental detour of the town, courtesy of my sat-nav. However, as a murder-mystery enthusiast and big fan of Agatha Christie I was still rather excited to get going on the self-guided tour! Helpfully, the first few stops of the trail are within 2 minutes of each other. From the train station you can already see the Grand hotel, which if I’m being honest was not looking as Grand as I imagine it had been 100 years previously.
The trail follows past the hotel onwards through the arch of Torre Abbey and into the Princess Gardens. Which I must admit where meticulously well-kept and rather beautiful in the sunshine. According to my trail map this had apparently been the area where Agatha enjoyed roller-skating, and it was quite easy to see why, with the beautiful view over the bay and noisy bustle of people enjoying the day.
However, it was not particularly reminiscent of murder or mystery and that -after all- was why I was following the trail. So after a quick pit-stop to grab some water, I continued onward towards the harbour and Beacon Hill.
As I made my way through the harbour and surrounding boats, the curve of the bay meant I caught another glimpse of the Grand hotel but this time from afar and it was from this distance that the ‘grandness’ become more apparent, with the discolouration and ugly signs of 21st century life hidden by the distance I could start to imagine the hotel back in the 1920s instead.
Heading up Beacon Hill, is the Yacht Club (where Christie’s father was a prominent member) and a sign describing the significance of Beacon Cove- although the cove itself was not visible due to numerous buildings here.
It’s up the hill that I stopped at the Imperial Hotel and as I stared up at it I was not entirely convinced it had maintained the ‘grandeur and elegance’ associated with Agatha Christie as the map stated. In fact it looked more like an old hospital building, complete with building works to the front… However, upon stepping inside it was something of a time portal, with the interior still holding its elegance like something from Christie’s novels. It is also inside the hotel I met a gentleman, which to my surprise did quite resemble Poirot- although the thick Birmingham accent quickly brought reality back down again. We had a brief conversation about Christie and the hotel, and I also gave him my map (having almost completed the tour myself) so he too could follow the trail.
Having given away my map and with no real rush to continue the tour I did take a detour off the official route following a sign immediately outside the hotel simply labelled ‘beach’. Well, I can now recommend anyone who also wishes to follow the trail does similar because upon following the track towards the coast, I was greeted with a glorious view of the bay looking backwards on itself towards the town. It is from this lookout point that you can also catch a glimpse of the ‘front’ of the Imperial Hotel as it would have looked if coming in from a boat; with art deco windows, and a pool overlooking the ocean it was quite easy to imagine how it would have looked when Christie stayed there. I’m not entirely sure which part of the bay makes up the ‘ladies bathing area’ where Christie almost drowned as a teenager however, the clear water below did look very inviting, and it must have been good because several people where tombstoning off the rocks.
Heading back towards the town, I did skip the museum visit as I had a timeslot to get to for Christie’s house. However, I did finish the official tour with a stop at the statue of Agatha, before walking back towards the station.
Thoughts on the trail:
The trail itself was very enjoyable and easy enough to navigate. There are several plaques and photographs of Christie around Torquay indicating to the trail and her life in the town. The juxtaposition of writing murder mystery novels in comparison to the busy holiday atmosphere of Torquay is fun to imagine and shares the same charm and intrigue as her novels.
I do think the small detour to the lookout beyond the Imperial Hotel was worth it and is worth doing if you choose to follow the tour yourself.
I completed the tour on a sunny Saturday morning (setting off from the Train station carpark at around 9:30am) in June and did not find any part of Torquay too busy or crowded. I would suggest starting early though as the station car park did have limited parking, and I cannot account for what it would have been like in the afternoon. I chose not to stop for a snack at any point, mainly because I knew I would be going to Christie’s house after completing the tour myself however, I did pass plenty of cafes and restaurants.
Onwards to Greenway:
Greenway House and Garden’s was Christie and her family’s home. It is set up as it would have been in the 1950s, with large collections of items Christie collected as well as archaeological items from the Middle East collected by herself and her husband on various digs and expeditions on display. The library of the house also has a frieze (wall paintings) which were painted in 1944 when the house was requisitioned by the US coastguard as part of the D-Day preparations.
After finishing the trail in Torquay, I headed 20 minutes up the coast to Greenway house close to Dartmouth. You do need to book a parking timeslot to visit here, as there is limited parking- this is quite easy through the National Trust website here. As a member of the National Trust, I did get free entry, but if you are not a member it is £14 for a standard adult.
Once inside there is plenty to explore including going inside the house, where you can even see the desk where Christie wrote her books. There is also lots to discover around the grounds of the house including several gardens, ponds, and quay. Similar, to Torquay lots of the places are also referenced in her novels including the boathouse where Marlene Tucker was strangled in Dead Man’s Folly. There is also a café and giftshop which sell numerous Agatha Christie themed items- providing the perfect memento for your visit.
An Agatha Christie day:
The combination of completing the trail and visiting Greenway house in one day was a great way to explore Torquay and I didn’t feel particularly rushed or as though I missed anything out. I did skip Torquay Museum because I needed to meet the parking time for Greenway house. However, after visiting Greenway where there was plenty of Agatha Christie items (it was her home after all) I did not feel as though I missed out on anything.
A few considerations for your trip:
- I parked at Torquay Station carpark (TQ2 6NU) be sure you are at the correct station as driving through I did almost end up at Torre Station instead!
- If you want to visit Greenway house on the same day, you do need to book a timeslot on the National Trust website and remember it’s a 25 minute drive from the station to Greenway.
- There are a number of different restaurants and cafes in and around Torquay as well as a café at Greenway house to choose from.
- You could technically take a dog with you to all the locations on the trail as well as Greenway house although you might not be able to go inside building.
- The trail took around an hour and a half to complete, I took my time visiting each location and taking photographs so it could be completed in shorter amount of time.
