‘Nothing has surprised me more in life than to have become a famous authoress’
Early Years
The writer was born Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller on 15 September 1890 in Torquay, Devon. The youngest of three siblings, she was homeschooled by her father. Her mother was adamant that she shouldn’t learn to read until the age of eight, but being the only child at home and a bit bored, Agatha taught herself by the age of five.
Her father died when she was just 11. Her mother was distraught and Agatha became her closest companion. From the age of 15 Agatha took piano and singing lessons. Her proficiency was such that she could have become a professional pianist, but her shyness was an obstacle.
Despite spending her childhood making up imaginary friends, an early sign that she had a flare for storytelling, it wasn’t until the age of 18 that she began to write short stories as a hobby.
In 1912 Agatha met Archie Christie, an aviator. They married on Christmas Eve 1914. It being the war years (Archie was fighting in France, she was working as a Voluntary Aid Detachment in a Red Cross hospital in Torquay), the couple were largely separated, and married life didn’t truly begin until 1918. Their daughter Rosalind was born in 1919.
Finding Fame
It was during the First World War (and in response to a bet from her sister Madge that she couldn’t write a good detective story) that she produced The Mysterious Affair At Styles. Her knowledge of poisons attained while working in the hospital dispensary was put to good use, with the victim being poisoned.
The book was eventually published in 1920, and she was asked by publisher John Lane to come up with five more books. It was Lane’s suggested reworking of her first novel that saw the denouement scene become a feature in Poirot stories.
She continued to write, inventing characters Tommy and Tuppence and then Miss Marple. In 1922 she and Archie, leaving Rosalind with Agatha’s mother, embarked on a tour of the British Empire, which provided inspiration for her books, both for characters and locations.
Back in the UK, life took an unsettling turn. Her mother had died and Archie had fallen for Nancy Neale, a family friend and keen golfer like himself. And so follows Agatha’s own mystery. After leaving her daughter with the household staff, she went missing. It eventually transpired that she had checked into the Harrogate Spa Hotel under the name of Theresa Neale. Hotel staff who recognised her alerted the police and Archie went to meet her. Possibly suffering from amnesia, she had no recollection of who she was and did not recognise Archie. She never spoke of the incident with family or friends.
In 1928 she and Archie divorced. Fleeing the UK, she and Rosalind went to the Canary Islands where she finished The Mystery Of The Blue Train, the book she had struggled to write while coping with her mother’s death. That same year she wrote the first of her novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.
A New Start
In 1928 she travelled on the Orient Express to Baghdad. She visited an archaeological site and the people who ran the dig invited her to return the following year. It was on that visit that she met 25-year-old archaeologist-intraining Max Mallowan. He became her second husband in 1930.
They spent a large part of their lives together travelling, the locations frequently popping up in her novels including Murder On The Orient Express, Death On The Nile and Murder In Mesopotamia.
In 1938 she bought Greenway on the River Dart in Devon, which became a beloved summer retreat.
The Second World War saw Max take a wartime job in Cairo while Agatha remained in England. It was during this time that she wrote and/ or published some of her best works: And Then There Were None, Evil Under The Sun, The Body In The Library, Five Little Pigs and The Moving Finger.
The Later Years
The end of the war and Max’s return saw the author adopt a slightly slower pace of life. Work on theatrical productions meant she spent less time writing. The Mousetrap, which opened in 1952, went on to become the longest-running play ever.
She made her last public appearance for the opening night of the film of Murder On The Orient Express with Albert Finney as Poirot in 1974. Despite thinking it a good adaption she didn’t like his moustache, thinking it not luxurious enough.
Having published more than 80 novels during her lifetime, she died peacefully on 12 January 1976 and was buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s, Cholsey, Oxfordshire.
Torre Abbey Gardens
Home of Potent Plants Garden inspired by the poisons and potions in Agatha Christie’s books.
The Grand Hotel
Where she spent her honeymoon night with Archie Christie. The hotel still has an Agatha Christie Suite.
Princess Pier
A favourite childhood spot of Agatha’s for roller-skating, and built in the year she was born.
Princess Gardens
Featured in the ABC Murders.
The Pavilion
It was after attending a Wagner concert here that Archie Christie proposed to the young Agatha Miller.
Agatha Christie Bust
A bronze bust created by Dutch sculptor Carol Van Den Boom-Cairns to commemorate the Agatha Christie Centenary Year in 1990.
Beacon Cove
Once known as Ladies Bathing Cove, it was one of Agatha’s favourite bathing spots.
Imperial Hotel
Featured in several of her novels.
Torquay Museum
Home to the UK’s only dedicated Agatha Christie Gallery.
Greenway
Jump aboard the 1940s bus and travel to the author’s holiday home.
Burgh Island Hotel
Once used as a writer’s retreat, two of her novels are set on the island: Evil Under The Sun and And Then There Were None.
For more information: www.englishriviera.co.uk
The writer was born Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller on 15 September 1890 in Torquay, Devon. The youngest of three siblings, she was homeschooled by her father. Her mother was adamant that she shouldn’t learn to read until the age of eight, but being the only child at home and a bit bored, Agatha taught herself by the age of five.
Her father died when she was just 11. Her mother was distraught and Agatha became her closest companion. From the age of 15 Agatha took piano and singing lessons. Her proficiency was such that she could have become a professional pianist, but her shyness was an obstacle.
Despite spending her childhood making up imaginary friends, an early sign that she had a flare for storytelling, it wasn’t until the age of 18 that she began to write short stories as a hobby.
In 1912 Agatha met Archie Christie, an aviator. They married on Christmas Eve 1914. It being the war years (Archie was fighting in France, she was working as a Voluntary Aid Detachment in a Red Cross hospital in Torquay), the couple were largely separated, and married life didn’t truly begin until 1918. Their daughter Rosalind was born in 1919.
Finding Fame
It was during the First World War (and in response to a bet from her sister Madge that she couldn’t write a good detective story) that she produced The Mysterious Affair At Styles. Her knowledge of poisons attained while working in the hospital dispensary was put to good use, with the victim being poisoned.
The book was eventually published in 1920, and she was asked by publisher John Lane to come up with five more books. It was Lane’s suggested reworking of her first novel that saw the denouement scene become a feature in Poirot stories.
She continued to write, inventing characters Tommy and Tuppence and then Miss Marple. In 1922 she and Archie, leaving Rosalind with Agatha’s mother, embarked on a tour of the British Empire, which provided inspiration for her books, both for characters and locations.
Back in the UK, life took an unsettling turn. Her mother had died and Archie had fallen for Nancy Neale, a family friend and keen golfer like himself. And so follows Agatha’s own mystery. After leaving her daughter with the household staff, she went missing. It eventually transpired that she had checked into the Harrogate Spa Hotel under the name of Theresa Neale. Hotel staff who recognised her alerted the police and Archie went to meet her. Possibly suffering from amnesia, she had no recollection of who she was and did not recognise Archie. She never spoke of the incident with family or friends.
In 1928 she and Archie divorced. Fleeing the UK, she and Rosalind went to the Canary Islands where she finished The Mystery Of The Blue Train, the book she had struggled to write while coping with her mother’s death. That same year she wrote the first of her novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.
A New Start
In 1928 she travelled on the Orient Express to Baghdad. She visited an archaeological site and the people who ran the dig invited her to return the following year. It was on that visit that she met 25-year-old archaeologist-intraining Max Mallowan. He became her second husband in 1930.
They spent a large part of their lives together travelling, the locations frequently popping up in her novels including Murder On The Orient Express, Death On The Nile and Murder In Mesopotamia.
In 1938 she bought Greenway on the River Dart in Devon, which became a beloved summer retreat.
The Second World War saw Max take a wartime job in Cairo while Agatha remained in England. It was during this time that she wrote and/ or published some of her best works: And Then There Were None, Evil Under The Sun, The Body In The Library, Five Little Pigs and The Moving Finger.
The Later Years
The end of the war and Max’s return saw the author adopt a slightly slower pace of life. Work on theatrical productions meant she spent less time writing. The Mousetrap, which opened in 1952, went on to become the longest-running play ever.
She made her last public appearance for the opening night of the film of Murder On The Orient Express with Albert Finney as Poirot in 1974. Despite thinking it a good adaption she didn’t like his moustache, thinking it not luxurious enough.
Having published more than 80 novels during her lifetime, she died peacefully on 12 January 1976 and was buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s, Cholsey, Oxfordshire.
The Christie Tour
Having been born in Torquay and lived there most of her life, there are plenty of places you could visit for your own Agatha Christie murder-mystery tour.Torre Abbey Gardens
Home of Potent Plants Garden inspired by the poisons and potions in Agatha Christie’s books.
The Grand Hotel
Where she spent her honeymoon night with Archie Christie. The hotel still has an Agatha Christie Suite.
Princess Pier
A favourite childhood spot of Agatha’s for roller-skating, and built in the year she was born.
Princess Gardens
Featured in the ABC Murders.
The Pavilion
It was after attending a Wagner concert here that Archie Christie proposed to the young Agatha Miller.
Agatha Christie Bust
A bronze bust created by Dutch sculptor Carol Van Den Boom-Cairns to commemorate the Agatha Christie Centenary Year in 1990.
Beacon Cove
Once known as Ladies Bathing Cove, it was one of Agatha’s favourite bathing spots.
Imperial Hotel
Featured in several of her novels.
Torquay Museum
Home to the UK’s only dedicated Agatha Christie Gallery.
Greenway
Jump aboard the 1940s bus and travel to the author’s holiday home.
Burgh Island Hotel
Once used as a writer’s retreat, two of her novels are set on the island: Evil Under The Sun and And Then There Were None.
For more information: www.englishriviera.co.uk