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The ABC Murders
Churston Station
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Agatha Christie Literary Trail
If your interest in Agatha Christie lies firmly in the murderous mystery of her written word, then look no further than the Agatha Christie Literary Trail through the English Riviera and South Devon.
This collection of sites, principally within the English Riviera, reveals the inspirations behind over 20 Agatha Christie novels. Take a look at the sites below, or pick up a free leaflet from Visitor Information Centres and other outlets in South Devon. There are so many places to discover that your days out in South Devon will certainly be full!
Well-Loved Mysteries
On the trail you’ll come across places that inspired the settings of some of the most well-loved Miss Marple and Poirot mysteries. See the original Majestic Hotel - aka the Imperial Hotel in Torquay – which features in The Body in the Library and Peril At End House. Take a trip on the train to Churston Station, and a walk down to Elberry Cove – both of which appear as themselves in The ABC Murders. Even Kents Cavern in Torquay provided the inspiration for Hempsley Cavern in The Man in the Brown Suit.
Through your imagination many of our historic homes and landmarks appear lovingly restored to their original glory, and you can see the English Riviera and the wider South Devon area as Agatha Christie may once have seen it. Discover how Torquay became “Hollowquay”, Dartmouth appeared as “Drymouth”, and hear the ringing of the Greenway Quay bell, which is rung in Ordeal by Innocence to summon the ferry.
Download our Agatha Christie Literary Trail Leaflet
Agatha Christie Literary Trail Leaflet
Right click and 'Save as' to download. You'll need a PDF reader such as Preview on Mac, or Adobe Acrobat on Windows.
Download now (PDF: 2.4Mb)
Search Results
Search Results 18 products
Showing records 1 to 10.
Corbyn Head
Type
Beach
Location
Torquay
This lovely little sandy beach lies to the south of Torre Abbey Sands, close to Abbey Meadows. With colourful beach huts and interesting rock pools, the beach is very popular with families.
Ashfield
Type
Historic Site
Location
Torquay
A Blue Plaque on Barton Road, Torquay, marks the spot of Ashfield, Agatha Christie's childhood home.
Elberry Cove
Type
Beach
Location
Brixham
Elberry Cove is a romantic impressive shingle beach with beautiful cystal blue clear waters a little gem in English Riveria, which is reached by a footpath from Broadsands beach. This is a beautiful beach in an idyllic rural setting.
Cockington Country Park
Type
Country Park/Nature Reserve
Location
Cockington, TORQUAY
Just a mile from Torquay seafront, you'll discover the beautiful thatched village of Cockington, and at its heart 460 acres of beautiful country park.
Burgh Island
Type
Natural Feature
Location
Bigbury on Sea
An icon of the South Devon coast and inspiration for Agatha Christie's novels.
Imperial Hotel
Type
Historic Site
Location
Torquay
The hotel provided the inspiration for the Majestic Hotel in two of Christie's novels - Peril at End House and The Body in the Library. In Sleeping Murder, Miss Marple's final case, the Imperial Hotel appears as itself.
Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company
Type
Steam Railway
Location
Paignton
Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway from Paignton is the holiday line with steam trains running for seven miles in Great Western tradition along the spectacular Torbay coast and through the wooded slopes bordering the Dart estuary to Kingswear.
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Churston Ferrers
Type
Church/Chapel
Location
Brixham
When holidaying at Greenway, Agatha Christie regularly attended the Church of St Mary the Virgin in the village of Churston Ferrers.
Churston Golf Club
Type
Golf Course
Location
Brixham
Agatha Christie was a keen, if nervous, golfer and regularly played at both Churston and Torquay golf courses.
Her knowledge of golf also inspired her 1923 novel Murder on the Links.
