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Greenway House

Take a glimpse into the life of Agatha Christie and her family at her former holiday home in Devon. The relaxed and atmospheric Georgian house is still set in the 1950s, and situated in a large and romantic woodland garden which sweeps down the hillside towards the River Dart.

Agatha Christie (known locally by her married name Mrs Mallowan) spent many happy years at Greenway, and would gather the family to holiday here once her latest book was complete, or to celebrate the seasons. They would relax by the river, play croquet and clock golf, or read her latest mystery to guests.

Each room in the house is full of items collected by Christie and her family, and brought to Greenway from her childhood home or archaeological digs with her second husband Max.

From walled gardens to riverside woodland, the informal gardens at Greenway are peaceful and relaxing. There are hidden gems such as a restored vinery and peach house, views down river to take your breath away and deckchairs in front of the house to relax in. A visit to Greenway isn’t complete without a trip down to the bottom of the garden, and the Boathouse. Scene of the crime in Poirot’s Dead Man’s Folly and one of the most tranquil spots at Greenway.

Why not take a peek inside Agatha Christie's Greenway as Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard, takes you on a tour of the house and garden and shares some of his dearest memories. Greenway is looked after by the National Trust and open to visitors most of the year. To find out more, visit their website .

Discover more

The stories inspired by greenway.

Discover the works inspired by 'the loveliest place in the world'

Armchair travel: Colouring sheets

Try your hand at our Greenway colouring sheets

Christie's England: A quiz

Test your knowledge of Agatha Christie's England with this trivia quiz

A digital jigsaw

Test your skills and recreate this picture of the house

Ten years of National Trust's Greenway

Find out about the house then and now

A Greenway factfile

Eight things you might not know about Christie's Greenway

Sign up to the newsletter to receive The World of Agatha Christie: 1920s magazine

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7 Amazing Things to Do at the Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon – “The Loveliest Place in the World”!

By: Author Sophie Pearce

Posted on Last updated: May 1, 2023

Categories AGATHA CHRISTIE , DEVON , ENGLAND

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for details.

The Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon is what she called “the loveliest place in the world” and I can see why!

Beautiful flowers grow in the landscaped gardens, a great house overlooking the River Dart, and beauty around every corner. You can never be bored in this gorgeous place.

If you’re heading to Devon this year to walk in the footsteps of the Queen of Crime, a stop by her summer home is a must.

It’s like a temple for crime fiction fans. You can walk around the inspiration for Dead Man’s Folly and get an inside look into what Agatha Christie’s life was like too!

So, in this complete Greenway House travel guide, I’m going to go through all the amazing things to do at the Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon.

Heads up: my visit to Greenway House was sponsored by the National Trust on my press trip with Visit South Devon. Although I was a guest all photos and opinions are my own.

Where did Agatha Christie live in Devon?

Although Greenway House is known as the Agatha Christie home, she actually lived in quite a few properties around Devon and Oxfordshire.

Agatha Christie was born in Barton Road in Torquay in 1890. The Christie family lived in Ashfield, a Victorian Mansion in Torbay.

She sold Ashfield in 1938 and unfortunately it was demolished in the 1960s for a new apartment block. You can still visit a blue plaque where the house stood.

She travelled abroad to Iraq and Syria to pursue her passion for archaeology. While here she met Max Mallowan and they married in 1930.

Shortly afterward they bought Winterbrook together in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. It remained as their forever home.

When did Agatha Christie buy Greenway?

In 1938, Agatha saw Greenway House for sale in Country Life Magazine for £6,000 and decided to buy it as her summer home. She had known it since her childhood and she thought it was a steal!

For years, Agatha Christie and her family spent long summers here reading, singing, gardening, and enjoying the views of the River Dart from this Devonshire estate.

The history of Greenway House in Devon

Long before Agatha Christie made Greenway House her own, it had a long history of an important estate in the area.

The Greenway Estate was first mentioned in 1493 as a crossway point from Dittisham to Dart.

Then eventually it was owned by the Gilbert family in 1530 who transformed the land into a medieval Greenway court. They remained on this estate until the 1700s.

The Gilberts then created Compton Castle selling the property to the Roopes. They knocked down the medieval court and built Greenway House. Much of this still exists as the central part of home today.

It was then sold to Edward Elton from Clevedon Bristol in 1791 who added the drawing and dining rooms and landscaped the gardens.

It again was sold to Colonel Edward Carlyon in 1832, but eventually, he moved on when he inherited another estate and leased out the property.

It then went from the tenants including The Harveys who modernised the estate in 1852.

Then it was owned Thomas Bedford Bolitho who added more gardens and when he died he passed on the house to Mary & Charles Williams in 1919.

In 1937, the Williams decided to sell the property and put it on the market for £6,000. From here, Agatha Christie decided to buy it as her summer home!

It was owned and resided in by members of her family until 2000 when it was acquired by the National Trust.

What Agatha Christie novels were inspired by Greenway House?

Agatha Christie used Greenway as inspiration for four of her crime fiction novels;

The ABC Murders – A Poirot novel where he is set upon the trail of a murderer leaving ABC letters and killing victims in alphabetical order.
Five Little Pigs – Another Poirot novel where he must solve a case from sixteen years before. All the events are told from the point of view of five suspects he called ‘five little pigs’.
Towards Zero – Follows the story of Superintendent Battle trying to solve the case of the murder of Lady Tressilian and her friend Treves. This is not a Miss Marple novel but later this has been adapted for TV under the Marple series.
Dead Man’s Folly – A Poirot novel where he is called to Nasse House (based on Greenway House) for a murder mystery party. But a real murder occurs where Marlene Tucker is murdered in the boathouse. You can visit this very boathouse at Greenway!

What has been filmed at Greenway House?

In 2013, Dead Man’s Folly starring David Suchet as Poirot was filmed at Greenway House.

They used Greenway House as Nasse House and the grounds of the house for the fête.

Also, they used the boathouse to portray the murder of Marlene Tucker!

7 things to do at the Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon

As soon as you arrive the lovely staff welcomes you into their reception area. You’ll need to put big bags into their FREE lockers as you make your way around.

Make sure you pick up one of their fab maps with all the things to do while you’re here.

It pinpoints all the locations in the gardens too and gives you some brief information about Agatha Christie and the highlights.

1. Visit the Greenway Second Hand Book Shop

In true Christie style, the National Trust has opened up their second-hand book shop on the Greenway estate.

Agatha Christie is one of the best-selling authors of all time and so it makes sense to have a book shop here.

As well as selling her classic novels, they also have some books for all ages in the old stables.

I decided to buy one of the Agatha Christie second-hand hardback novels that they had on sale. They were only £5 and limited in number!

By the time I had returned at the end of the day they had completely sold out. So, get in there quick.

Inside they also have a short video from Agatha Christie’s grandson Mathew Prichard who talks about the Greenway home and memories of his grandmother inside.

Don’t miss the opportunity to get your photo taken with David Suchet. They have a huge poster for Dead Man’s Folly inside too.

2. Explore Greenway House – the loveliest place in the world

I guess the first thing you should do is explore the ‘loveliest place in the world’ according to Agatha Christie!

The staff will be more than happy to welcome you inside and tell you all about the house. Plus, there are some guidebooks you can take with you to explain some of the extensive collections inside too.

Everything inside Greenway House was brought here by Agatha Christie. She was a huge collector of art and artifacts.

She often travelled abroad with her husband Max Mallowan to Egypt, Syria, and Iraq to perform excavations. So, you will find some amazing and unusual items from all over the world.

According to the house, she would pay way over the value of the item to have it shipped back to her home.

Things to do Agatha Christie Greenway House

Entrance Hall & The Morning Room

As soon as you walk into Greenway you can get a feel for the sort of house you will be exploring.

It’s a historic Georgian entranceway with a flocked wall part with an eclectic mix of the woodwork and worldly artifacts that sit on the side.

Here you can see Taqiyah’s or caps from Africa and Egyptian fly whisks. A cupboard from Zanzibar and sitting onto some studio pottery and an interesting pewter skull!

In the morning room, which hasn’t changed since the 1790s, you can also see some portraits of Agatha Christie as a child with her doll Rosie on display.

Make sure you check out some of the crockeries and a huge collection of snuff boxes and pocket watches too.

The Drawing Room

The Greenway Drawing Room is a lovely and light airy space with a suite in the middle by the fire.

You can find a piano in the corner that the family used to play and entertain each other and ‘do as they liked’ with songs and dancing too.

Apparently, the family used to gather around here while Agatha used to read out the latest chapter of her mystery novels.

She also used the desk in here to write chapters of her novels and correspondence.

I loved looking at the old pictures of Agatha and the family and seeing the amazing collection of ornaments here too.

The Kitchens

Traditionally this room was a butler’s pantry and cooks kitchen in the Georgian era when it was first built. But, when Agatha used to stay here in the summers, she would prepare meals herself for her guests!

The same cookbooks that she followed recipes from are in this very room. So, you can have a look and try some out at home if you like.

It has a traditional stone floor and range cooker. Also, you can see this huge collection of crockery displayed beautifully along the wall.

The Library

My favourite room in the whole house is this library sitting room! I don’t know why.

Maybe it was the huge collection of books on offer to read, the amazing frieze paintings near the ceiling or the carpetbag chairs and suite.

Either way, I could have happily spent a few hours here with a book!

Originally this was the dining room of Greenway house in the 18th century and a mess room during World War II, but in Agatha Christie’s time, this was transformed into a library to store books.

Agatha Christie and her family collected over 5,000 books in and around the house!

The paintings you see were painted in 1943 by Lieutenant Marshall Lee. He portrayed the 10th Flotilla’s journey from Key West in Florida to Greenway. It includes lots of images of the Infantry arriving at the house.

The Dining Room

Another great room that welcomed us with traditional brass band, swing, and jazz music floating in the air is the dining room.

This was the area where the whole family would dine and gather in celebration. In fact, many of Agatha Christie’s landmark birthday celebrations were held in this very room!

She had a huge passion for food and would often serve up only the best dishes with champagne for her guests.

You can also find some great artefacts in here including the cobra doorstop, a lobster ceramic dish, and the amazing double-humped camel pottery that Max Mallowan bought here from China.

The Bedroom

If there was a bedroom I would like for myself, it’s this one. Not only was the decor lovely and the room light and airy, but it also provided incredible views over the River Dart and gardens.

All of the furniture in here is from the 1950s aside from the Mother of Pearl chest which she bought from Damascus in 1929. It’s stunning and well worth a look.

As well as the bedroom you can have a peek inside the walk-in dressing room, the sitting room, and the Fax room too.

I loved looking into the old bathroom called ‘the smallest room’ with the old-fashioned loo! It even came equipped with old toilet paper haha.

Agatha Christie's bedroom at Greenway House

Staircase & Inner hall

The main staircase is also original since the 1790s and is in fabulous condition. Along the stairs, you can find lots of paintings lining the walls and carpets too.

I also found that the Inner Hall is an underrated room in the house. Here you can find some incredible tapestries, ornaments, trinket boxes, and carpets.

There really is something to find of Agatha Christie in every corner of Greenway House. You could spend hours admiring her collections.

3. Take a walk around the amazing manicured Greenway Gardens

After you’ve explored the house and had your fill. The next thing I would recommend is taking a stroll around the extensive Greenway landscaped gardens.

There is SO much to this area, it could take up a couple of hours. Especially on a sunny day.

You’ll find putting greens, a tennis court, victorian greenhouses, hidden pathways, statues, and even some parts of the gardens that Agatha Christie planted herself!

Here are some of the highlights;

The Top Garden

To really get a feel of Greenway House, you should take a walk up to the Top Garden.

Along the way, you’ll get to see some incredible views of the house and the views of the River Dart and some artwork like the Mother & Daughter statue too.

As you make your way through to the Top Garden you’ll find all sorts of plants.

As I was here in winter, I could instantly smell the wild garlic and there were some early signs of spring with Daffodils too.

Tennis Courts, Greenway Walled Garden & Dahlia Border

There is so much to explore around the house, including the tennis courts and walled gardens. They are pretty much next to each other so you can explore them quite easily.

The walled gardens, although it was winter, were still really worth a look.

Apparently, this was where the family cultivated rare plants to sell. Here you can find a peach house, a vinery, fig-trees, a melon house, Chilean flowers, and all sorts of rare shrubs!

Another place you should make a priority is the Dahlia border which Agatha Christie designed and planted herself. This garden and Dahlia’s were also mentioned in her novels.

The Greenway Bird

One of the things I stumbled upon in the gardens was the delightful Greenway Bird Pond. The statue sits on the edge of the pond with huge ferns growing all around it.

There was also some black bamboo and magnolias. With a lovely view of the river too.

I was trying to get to the Kwan Yin pond too but it was closed due to flooding, unfortunately.

4. Visit the Greenway Boat House from Dead Man’s Folly!

No visit to the Agatha Christie Greenway House would be complete without a visit to the Greenway Boat House.

This incredible spot on the banks of the River Dart was what inspired Agatha Christie to write ‘Dead Mans’ Folly’ and is the setting where Marlene Tucker is murdered!

It was also featured in ‘Five Little Pigs’ too. The family used this place to relax, watch the boats sailing by and lookout for some of the local wildlife.

Today, you can visit this spot just like they did. The National Trust has lovingly restored the house with a three-piece suite, a roaring fire, and a terrace where you can look out for wildlife.

I got to see some seals swimming in the distance, lots’ of gulls and birds and some hill voles too that the staff feed! It’s a really magical part of the house and there will be some swing music playing to bob along too.

5. Take in the views from the Battery with it’s own canons

Another one of my favourite spots was a visit to the battery. This amazing viewpoint was originally built in the 18th century around the grounds of the house and has its very own canons that were set up during the Napoleonic wars!

Agatha Christie and Max Mallowan would sit here and watch the boats sail by with their family. She used this very spot as a murder scene in ‘Five Little Pigs’ too!

It really is one of the most peaceful areas of the house. So, I would schedule some time here on a sunny day to grab a bench and relax.

6. Have a cream tea in the Greenway House tea rooms

After all that exploring, sleuthing, and walking, you’ll probably be in need of a pick me up!

I loved the Greenway House tea rooms. They had a lovely selection of hot and cold drinks, homemade cakes, and sandwiches to buy. Plus, some hot meals too like soup and jacket potatoes.

They had options for outdoor seating but as it was a wash-out when we arrived we sat indoors by the radiator.

They had a beautiful duck egg blue room all decorated with vintage-style posters of Greenway House, The Boathouse, and Dartmouth.

They also do a cream tea here too so if you wanted something more traditional you can have a cream tea with scones and lashings of cream and jam!

7. Buy some incredible Agatha Christie inspired souvenirs in the gift shop

I am not ashamed to admit that I am Agatha Christie obsessed! So I was all for the fact they had a gift shop with lots of themed souvenirs.

You could purchase some of Agatha Christie’s books that were inspired by Greenway including Dead Man’s Folly. Don’t forget to get your book stamped by the staff at the National Trust.

You can also buy vintage posters of Greenway, bookmarks, mugs, locally made foodie snacks, and lots more.

I have to admit, I did go a little OTT here. But, as it was my first time at Greenway and it all goes towards a good cause. I thought, why not?!

How to get to Greenway House in Devon

Greenway House is actually tucked away in the Devonshire countryside near the village of Galmpton alongside the River Dart.

So, it can be a little bit tricky navigating your way over here, especially as parking spots are limited and you’ll need to reserve them (more below).

Thankfully, it is a really popular spot here in Devon so there are many options to travel to Greenway House.

The best places to travel from are the main towns Dartmouth, Paignton, and Brixham.

Greenway Halt – Steam Train to Greenway

Did you know you can travel over to Greenway House in traditional style like Agatha Christie via steam train?

From May – October the Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company run tours on their vintage trains to Greenway Halt station. You can board the steam trains at either Paignton or Kingswear in Dartmouth.

Unfortunately, you cannot book tickets online but you are able to call the desk or book on the day.

From Greenway Halt, it’s a 30-minute walk over to Greenway House. But, there are some shuttle buses available.

Greenway Ferry

While the Greenway Train only runs in peak season, the Greenway ferry service to Greenway House and Dittisham run all year.

It’s a great way to arrive at Greenway and you’ll also get to see the boathouse from the water!

The ferries run on the hour and pull up at Greenway Quay. There is a steep walk up to the house and gardens. But, the National Trust does run a shuttle buggy service too.

Walk to Greenway House

There are many public walking trails like the Dart Valley trail that take you right past Greenway for a much-needed break.

This 6-mile walk takes you from Kingswear to Greenway. Also, you can include Greenway as part of the John Musgrave Heritage Trail from Brixham to Greenway Quay.

Drive to Greenway

Greenway is accessible by car, but you will need to book parking spaces in advance!

It’s easily accessible and 2 miles away from the small village of Galmpton in Torbay.

Greenway is also located around 6 miles from Dartmouth, 4 miles from Brixham, and 4.5 miles from Paignton.

You’ll be navigating on quite thin single-track roads with two-way traffic! So, be careful as you go on the sharp blind bends.

Greenway House Parking

You must reserve a parking space in advance and priority is given to those in need of easy accessibility. It’s a charge of £3 for non-trust members.

There is no option of parking on the laneways or the roads leading into the estate.

Parking spaces are easy to book via their website and you can let them know if wheelchair access is required.

From the Greenway car park, you can get a buggy to the house, or walk via the flat road.

Accessibility at Greenway

As my mum has a bad leg and can’t walk far without a walking stick, we were initially concerned about walking over to Greenway from the public transport options and Car Park.

But, the National Trust is always passionate about making attractions accessible for all.

From the Car Park, they have an electric buggy that can take you to the house.

Or, from the Greenway Halt station, there are shuttle buses that can take you over to the entrance of the house. As otherwise, it’s a 20-minute walk.

If you are taking a wheelchair, or have specific accessibility requirements, I would personally ask at the team at Greenway House first before arriving.

Greenway House Ticket Prices

Ticket prices for Greenway House are £12.80 as a standard ticket and £14.30 with gift aid.

Children’s tickets are £6.40 standard and £7.15 with Gift Aid. There are family and group tickets available which you can take a look at here .

National Trust members can enter Greenway house and gardens for FREE.

Greenway House opening times

Greenway House is open every day of the week from 10.30 am – 5 pm. I would definitely make sure you leave plenty of time to explore Greenway House & the gardens.

I would personally recommend at least 3-4 hours to make the most of it as you will probably have to walk to get there too!

Can you stay at Greenway House?

YES, you can stay at three properties on the estate. The Greenway Apartment inside the Greenway House, The South Lodge on the estate and The Lodge.

All are owned and managed by the National Trust.

Greenway Apartment

The apartment comes with 4 bedrooms and as part of your stay, you are free to roam the Greenway House and grounds too.

It fits 8 guests and you must book a minimum of 3 days in order to stay. The price is just over £1000. But for Christie fans it’s priceless. Click here for more details.

The Lodge & South Lodge at Greenway

There are actually two lodges that are located on the Greenway estate to book as a holiday home.

The Lodge fits 2 and is right on the entrance to the estate from Galmpton road. It has a minimum stay of 2 nights. Click here for more.

The South Lodge is near the top gardens of the estate. It’s a beautiful modern finish inside with views of the River Dart.

It fits 6 people and has a minimum stay of 2 nights. Click here for more.

Where to stay near Greenway House – Bayard’s Cove Inn

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay away from the estate with slightly more infrastructure, then I would recommend the amazing coastal town of Dartmouth which is nearby.

Sitting opposite Kingswear, you can get the car ferry over to this amazing and historic harbourside area.

One of the highlights is a visit to the Grade II listed Bayard’s, Cove Fort. This was built in the Tudor style in the 16th century and an original stopping point of the Mayflower before it sailed off to the New World.

Nearby is an amazing 14th-century property, Bayard’s Cove Inn. Which still has its original Tudor woodwork, trellis windows, and exposed beams.

It only has 7 boutique cosy rooms which makes it lovely and quiet. Their award-winning restaurant below has an incredible atmosphere. On their tasty menu is locally sourced food including the catch of the day.

My Mum and I absolutely loved our stay here and the friendly staff and service really could not be beaten.

Click here to read my complete Bayard’s Cove Inn review and how to book!

More Agatha Christie things to do near Greenway House in Devon

The Queen of Crime was born in Devon, so you can’t go far without finding a town or village without an Agatha Christie reference. But, if you are heading on a pilgrimage of sorts, here are some of the places I would recommend.

From taking a traditional high tea, visiting some of her favourite beach spots, or checking out some of the murder spots featured in her novels.

There is so much to do for Agatha Christie fans.

Explore Torquay with the Agatha Christie’s Mystery Mile

To celebrate the fact that Agatha Christie was born in Torquay the town unveiled an Agatha Christie Mystery Mile dedicated to her.

It’s an awesome way to explore the highlights of Torquay, a Victorian seaside town with its iconic palm tree.

Start off at either the Grand Hotel or Imperial Hotel and tick off some of the iconic places related to Agatha Christie on the way.

You can visit Princess Pier and gardens, The Pavilion, an Agatha Christie bust, and Torre Abbey!

Click here for my complete Agatha Christie mystery mile travel guide

Torre Abbey Potent Plants Garden

Torre Abbey is famous in these parts as being a historic home since 1196! It was originally home to the Premonstratensian order, or “White Canons”.

Then it was home to the Cary Family and even housed over 300 Spanish prisoners of war from the Armada in their barn.

Agatha Christie fans will love visiting the Torre Abbey gardens with their ‘Potent Plants’ section. It’s full of poisonous flowers, trees, and shrubs.

The garden is dedicated to her due to her extensive knowledge of poisons and they even have a little mystery to solve too.

Click here for more visitor information on Torre Abbey!

Visit Kents Cavern – Prehistoric Caves

Did you know that Kents Cavern inspired Agatha Christie to write ‘The Man in the Brown Suit’?! In her book, she refers to the archaeology inside and it’s called Hampsly Cavern.

A visit here is well worth your time while in Torquay. These 2 million-year-old caves were formed around the Ice Age!

They have found evidence of pre-historic humans with bone fragments dated over 44,000 years ago. Making it Britain’s oldest home.

There is also evidence that woolly mammoths, saber-tooth tigers, and cave bears lived here too.

You can only visit the caves on a guided tour. Click here for more details on how to book.

Explore Cockington Village

If you drive just half a mile away from the bustling seaside town of Torquay, you can enter the countryside and be transported back in time.

Cockington Village is a little hidden gem in Devon that has buildings mentioned in the Domesday books of 1086!

It’s a quaint world of thatched cottages, gorgeous tea gardens, and old Lutyen style houses.

Don’t forget to stop by Cockington Court to explore the old manor house. Agatha Christie was friends with the Mallock family who used to own the estate.

As a child, she would join them here to take part in their amateur dramatics!

As well as the house, they have arts and crafts studios and an old parish church too.

Click here to read my complete Cockington Village travel guide with more things to do!

Pay a visit to Burgh Island

One of the highlights of my tour to Devon was a visit to Burgh Island and the hotel there!

Agatha Christie used this as her home away from home and would hide away in their beach hut.

She wrote two novels inspired by Burgh Island; ‘And Then There Were None’ and ‘Evil Under the Sun’. Plus, they filmed two Marple’s and a Poirot on the island too!

You can visit this tidal island completely free and have a walk to explore. Or, you can treat yourself to an afternoon tea in the Burgh Island hotel!

It is open to non-residents and it’s something you will never forget.

Click here for my complete Burgh Island Hotel Afternoon Tea review!

Like it? Pin it!

Tilly Jaye Horseman

Thursday 12th of March 2020

Gosh, wouldn't you just love to wake up to those river views every morning! No wonder Agatha was so inspired to write! It's nice to see a bedroom in a house like this that you could actually see yourself using - many a time the decor is too over the top, or very dingy and the matresses look dreadfully uncomfortable - that's defo not the cases here! Another National Trust site to visit in the future..!

Sophie Pearce

Yes, Agatha Christie picked her houses well! The views from there are really stunning, especially with the blossoms growing. Totally degree on the decor front, I would love to sleep in a four-poster bed in a Tudor or Georgian House but can be a bit loud. This room was so beautiful and elegant. 100% would recommend a visit, so much to do there! Sophie x

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Visiting Greenway – Agatha Christie’s House

by Lynne Mashhadi | Around Plymouth , Latest Plymouth

If you have never been to Greenway, you are missing a real treat. Greenway is the summer home of one of the most famous authors of all time, Agatha Christie.

The Perfect Place to Visit

I visited Greenway for the first time on a warm, sunny, early September day and was entranced by it. The elegant house, beautiful gardens and river views are stunning, even without it’s connection to the famous author. I have always been a fan of Christie’s books and it was very exciting to see the rooms where my idol worked, relaxed, ate and slept. Unlike many National Trust houses, there is an air of informality about Greenway. The rooms are not roped off and it is possible to wander freely around the furniture and get a closer look at objects that take your interest. You are also allowed to take photos as long as you don’t use a flash, which seemed a lovely privilege.

One of the living rooms

Christie and her second husband, Max Mallowan, were apparently very attached to Greenway and used it as their holiday home in the spring and late summer. They also frequently spent Christmas there with family and friends. Agatha Christie was known to local people by her married name, Mrs Mallowan, and her time spent at Greenway, was focused on quality time with her family, away from the public eye. As you wander around the house it is easy to imagine Christie and her family relaxing in the living rooms, eating meals in the large dining room and strolling through the glorious gardens. In fact, it is easy to imagine that they have just stepped out of the room and if you were to sit down and wait, they could come strolling in at any moment.

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A Beautiful Family Home

The library is where Christie and her family most liked to relax and I found it fascinating to see the books shelves there and the reading material, including some of the author’s own books. It was also interesting to see the favourite chair where she liked to sit.

The Library

The library is also the location of an interesting frieze painted during the Second World War by one of the men stationed there, when Greenway was requisitioned by the US Coastguard. When the house was eventually returned to the family, Christie fortunately decided to keep the frieze as she liked it.

One of the more striking features of the Library, sits by the entrance

The study was the most compelling room for me. An old-fashioned typewriter and desk set are in prominent place, along with a blotter. On shelves above the desk are first editions of all of Christie’s detective novels, and some modern versions too. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine her sitting in the leather desk chair and allowing her imagination to flow through her pen and onto the page. Christie spent most of 1940 at Greenway whilst her husband was away, and wrote two books and several stories there.

Agatha Christie’s desk

In the author’s bedroom is a large walk-in wardrobe containing clothes that were all worn by either herself or her daughter. Interestingly, the bed that the couple took with them when they were away on archaeological digs abroad is also in this room.

Poirot and Captain Hasting in Deck Chairs

Christie and her family were great collectors and evidence of their collective passions are dotted around the house; from archaeological finds, to pottery, to pieces of art. The house still contains many of Christie and her family’s belongings and has been kept, as much as possible, true to the way it was when the family lived there.

When you stand in front of the house, you can enjoy some beautiful river views. Happily, a number of retro-style canvas deck chairs are placed on the grass in fine weather, so that visitors can relax and enjoy the vista. The scene was very reminiscent of the author’s books and I could very easily imagine Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings seated in the deck chairs.

Inspiration for Christie’s Books

The gardens are intriguing to explore, especially the Boat House, which inspired ‘Dead Man’s Folly’. In this story Greenway House, gardens, boat house and the local area are all described accurately, and in 2013, ITV filmed their adaptation of ‘Dead Man’s Folly’ here.

The Boat House at Greenway

The Battery, a beautiful curved terrace with battlements and cannons, overlooking the river, inspired another of Christie’s books, ‘Five Little Pigs’. In this story, a famous painter is poisoned whilst painting his very last portrait, and the location is the Battery. I was enchanted by the Battery and would love to sit there in the sunshine and read ‘Five Little Pigs’. It is a truly glorious and inspiring place. Another of Christie’s books, ‘Ordeal By Innocence’, was also inspired by Greenway and it’s surrounds.

The Battery at Greenway

Agatha Christie’s Greenway

“One day we saw that a house was up for sale that I had known when I was young… So we went over to Greenway, and very beautiful the house and grounds were. A white Georgian house of about 1780 or 90, with woods sweeping down to the Dart below, and a lot of fine shrubs and trees – the ideal house, a dream house”.

Christie’s fame enabled her to buy Greenway as an adult and she obviously spent some very happy times there. In 1959 the author’s daughter, Rosalind Hicks, bought Greenway from her mother, and moved in after the deaths of Christie in 1976 and Max in 1978. Rosalind and her husband lived at Greenway for some years, then gave the property to the National Trust in 2000. Rosalind and Anthony Hicks continued to live at Greenway until their deaths in 2004 and 2005.

Excellent Facilities

Greenway has excellent facilities, from the friendly and knowledgeable volunteers and staff, to the shop and cafe located in the old stable block.

The shop sells a selection of Christie’s books plus many other items inspired by her novels and characters, in addition to all the usual National Trust merchandise.

Travel and Parking

In the height of the season, the car parks can get full very quickly. However, it is possible to reserve your parking space in advance, and I highly recommend you do that. If you find walking difficult, there is a convenient ferrying service that will carry you from the car park to the entrance. Here is a link to more travel information: TRAVEL TO GREENWAY

Poirot mugs in the gift shop

Revisiting a More Elegant Era

Visiting Greenway is like going back in time to a more elegant era. For admirers of Christie’s novels, anyone who is interested in history, architecture or gardening, or if you just enjoy walking among lovely scenery, then Greenway is a must-visit location.

There is a lot to see, so arrive as early as you can. Even so, you will probably want to return. I felt that there was too much to see in just one visit and am looking forward to going again. Greenway is a truly special place and deserves to be high on any visitor’s agenda.

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London Life With Liz

A lifestyle blog with a little bit of everything., a day out at greenway, agatha christie’s beloved devon home.

I fulfilled a long-held dream today, when I visited Agatha Christie’s Devon home, Greenway . Now a National Trust property, it was never Christie’s official residence, but was where she and her family spent their holidays – Christie being keen to stay as close to her Devon roots as possible.

There are several ways in which you can travel to Greenway, but I chose the most nostalgic: a steam train from Paignton to the village of Kingswear, followed by a ferry to Greenway. I loved travelling on the ‘Devon Belle’, which dates back to 1951, and I was glad I’d paid the slightly higher fare to sit in its Observation Car; not only is the seating all sofas and armchairs, but the floor-to-ceiling glass windows afford wonderful views of the Devon countryside.

I enjoyed sailing on the ‘Agatha Belle’, too: as we approached Greenway pier it put me in mind of the opening scenes of the recent TV adaptation of ‘And Then There Were None’ – the difference being that I was hoping to survive and make the return journey home.

As we made the short walk up to the house, I didn’t know what to expect. I was very much hoping that it wouldn’t be your typical ‘stately home’ but aware, also, that Agatha Christie’s success made her exceptionally wealthy and wondered whether this would be reflected in how she lived.

In fact, the reverse is true – in the nicest possible way. Greenway is a modest size and still feels like a family home: the National Trust, together with Christie’s grandson, Mathew, have done a magnificent job in maintaining a house into which it feels as though Agatha Christie could walk at any moment.

Before I go any further, I must tell you that this was one of the most blissful days out I’ve spent in a long time. One of those days when the stars aligned: the weather, the mode of transport and the warmth of the Greenway volunteers, all of whom are extremely knowledgeable about Agatha Christie – and who are committed to ensuring that visitors experience the house and its gardens in the way that Christie would have wanted.

Where to begin? The photo below depicts my first glimpse of Greenway, serenely beautiful on this exceptional spring day. What you can’t see are the deckchairs on the lawn overlooking the River Dart, occupied by visitors intent on making the most of the good weather. Tempted as I was to join them, I was determined to make the most of my time here and, accordingly, trotted straight into Greenway itself.

After a friendly and informative welcome, in which I learned that Greenway remains just how it was when Christie’s daughter, Rosalind, and her husband Anthony lived here, I moved directly into the Morning Room. This was used by the family to house their collection of art; the Christie-Mallowan clan collected everything from ceramic figurines, watches and quill work boxes to books, silver and Mauchlinware.

Next door is the Drawing Room, notable for hosting Agatha Christie’s Steinway piano which, to my astonishment, visitors are actively encouraged to play. While I was in there, a young girl who could have been no older than 14 or 15 sat down and played a Beethoven sonata so beautifully that all of the adults in the room were left surreptitiously dabbing at their eyes. Agatha Christie was a supremely talented musician who trained at the Sorbonne and was considered gifted enough to forge a career as a professional pianist or singer – but suffered such crippling stage fright that she decided against it.

This is where the family gathered, of an evening, for music, games and first readings of new manuscripts: board & card games and dominoes are scattered around the comfy armchairs and sofas. It’s also where much of Rosalind and Anthony’s silver is kept: their passion, they aimed to own a piece from every year from the mid-17 th century to the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

It was a wrench to tear myself away, but eventually I wandered through the Winter Dining Room, noting Agatha’s DBE (hidden, when she was alive, at the back of a cupboard), into the kitchen. In any house I visit, I’m always interested to see the kitchen; I think it tells you so much about its residents. Greenway’s is well-lit and airy and its Aga is used to this day for special occasions. The cage belonging to Rosalind and Anthony’s parrot resides on the window sill – and the cookery books containing Agatha Christie’s favourite recipes retain pride of place.

Upstairs, you learn even more about the family. Rosalind and Anthony moved up here in the latter part of their lives – and it really does feel as though they’re still there. Their sitting room was originally used by Max as a bedroom/writing room and it contains a portrait of Agatha aged 20 plus lots of family photos, including one of Slipper, the last cat to live at Greenway. This is where Max completed work on his notes from various archaeological digs – aided by Agatha who, I was thrilled to learn, used to clean the pottery shards they found on their digs with her favourite face cream.

Moving into Agatha’s bedroom, I was astonished to find that many of her clothes remain there – as do Rosalind’s. It’s is a lovely room, filled with books by Agatha’s favourite authors (Bowen, Greene, Benson), an exquisite Damascus chest and Max’s campaign bed – used by him when an officer in the military and then on archaeological digs in the Middle East.

It’s adjoined by what you might call the most practical room in the house: the ‘Fax Room’ – named after the fax machine installed by the Hicks (endearingly the most modern innovation in the house). It’s surrounded by a collection of silk-embroidered Stevengraphs, first edition Agatha Christies – and the typewriter used by Max to write his memoirs.

I couldn’t leave Greenway without exploring its Library and Dining Room. The former is Mathew’s favourite room and houses over 5,000 books: everything from philosophy to children’s novels. During the Second World War, Greenway was requisitioned and Lt Marshall of the US Coastguard, painted a stunning frieze, starting to the left of the room’s chimney breast and going clockwise around the room. Its unexpectedness makes it all the more magnificent.

The Dining Room, blessed with lovely views, was filled with sunshine when I entered. More formal than the remainder of the house, it was used for family celebrations. Again, there are lots of personal touches: the glass cream jug from which Agatha used to pour herself double cream to drink (her equivalent of alcohol: she was teetotal), family photo albums and even a lobster dish – a symbol of Agatha’s favourite food and the very same one used at her 80 th birthday party (the full menu features in one of the scrapbooks kept in this room).

I so enjoyed my time at Greenway and am conscious that I’ve said little about its beautiful, rolling gardens and woodland, which are such a joy to explore. This is already quite a long post, so I will content myself with saying: please do visit Greenway – and do so when the weather is good, if you can. You’ll find the house fascinating whatever the time of year, but what makes Greenway, in Agatha Christie’s words, “The loveliest place in the world” is its exterior – still enjoyed to this day by local primary school children who, continuing a long-established tradition, come here to plant vegetables and plants and learn about agriculture.

Agatha Christie would approve, I am sure, of how Greenway is used today and how it retains a prominent role in the local community (its summer film nights are a big hit, so I hear). She would be delighted by how the National Trust, in close collaboration with her grandson, have rehabilitated and continue to cherish this iconic Devon landmark. Above all, this most unassuming of authors would, I think, be overwhelmed by the fact that, every year, millions of tourists flock to the inspiration behind so many of her dearly-loved books.

Greenway is a white Georgian building dating from around 1780–90, surrounded by lush woodland and enjoying spectacular views over the River Dart. Since it’s been restored and is now run by the National Trust, it’s a place no Agatha Christie fan will want to miss.

Here’s the story of my much-anticipated visit during a stay with my family in the south-west of England.

From Dartmouth to Greenway

I’ll be forever grateful to the Tourist Information in Kingsbridge where a nice, helpful young woman advised me that the best way to reach Greenway was by taking the ferry from Dartmouth. I’ll tell you what, not only does arriving at Greenway from the water add to the magic of it all, but Dartmouth itself is such a delightful town, full of the character of Devon. Believe me, you won’t regret spending a little time there, maybe even using it as a base for your explorations.

The town is basically an ensemble of steep cobbled alleys between half-timbered houses, seagulls sitting on tall chimneys, misshapen gables. There’s an old church in the town centre built in the local stone, its unusual interior resembling a ship, surrounded by an unmissable graveyard. And, of course, the town boasts a pier.

Before taking our ferry, we visited a number of attractive independent shops with engaging window displays. It’s such a pity when the facades of old buildings are ruined by ugly chain store signs above window displays that do nothing to represent the special atmosphere of an old English town.

A ride on the Dart River

But it’s time to go, now: the ship’s horn is calling us back to the harbour.

The ride on the windy Dart River is a precious way to take in the beauty of what looks like a fjord. A last look at Dartmouth from the water, and then you can let your thoughts wander through the sailing boats and tongues of land stretching out into the river.

Greenway, Agatha Christie’s house

On our arrival at Greenway Quay, my heart was going pitter patter with excitement. Following a walk through a beautiful forest, Giovanni and I came across a simple Georgian building overlooking the Dart from the top of a hill. We stopped at the café in the garden; I wasn’t impatient to get inside, as every moment was creating a precious memory. We were with Frodo, our golden retriever and perfect travel mate, and when we visit a museum with him, we take it in turns to go inside.

The first one to go in was me. I’d purposely avoided reading much about Greenway; I wanted it to be a surprise, so I had no idea of what it would look like inside.

The tour started from the living room: a cosy room with comfy sofas in front of a fireplace, card games laid out on a little table, and dominoes spread across the carpet as if children had just been playing a game. And this is the recurrent feeling in all the rooms, all the corners of Greenway. This is not a dusty museum; it’s a living home.

Visit Greenway Agatha Christie Cozy Mysteries

Pictures, family photographs and portraits, collections of porcelain adorn Agatha Christie’s library; in her bedroom, the wardrobe is half open as if she has just got back from a long trip in the Middle East. It’s all geared to give the impression that she and her family still live in the house and have simply nipped out for a walk in the garden.

I’m telling you, I love the guys of the National Trust; they’re awesome!

Greenway’s library

Another stand-out feature of this visit was the opportunity to browse Agatha Christie’s bookshelves. Of course, you cannot touch the books, but that’s not the point. You can get close to the cabinets and read each title one by one. As you can probably imagine, there are plenty of mysteries, and also books on poisons and collections of nursery rhymes.

What surprised me most was the number of mysteries published in the sixties. Even as a world famous author, Agatha Christie kept an eye on the trends in her genre, what the competition was working at, and I felt my already huge admiration for her growing even bigger.

Maybe this was one of the secrets of her timelessness: she never felt she’d arrived!

Greenway is not a museum

I found the sight of the piano with the family portraits on top, the bedroom with the suitcase in front of the wardrobe as if she was ready to catch her next flight – I beg your pardon, her next train – most touching. She did eventually get used to aeroplanes, but never made a mystery of the fact she missed the charm of the long train rides of her youth.

Greenway’s gardens

Adriana Licio Greenwat Agatha Christie house cozy mysteries

The gardens around Greenway are just as beautiful as any informal gardens, the Dart creating a microclimate that allows for unusual botanical experiments. I’m particularly fond of trees, and there are plenty of majestic ones in this garden.

There’s also a glasshouse, while local students take care of a vegetable garden. They tend it for a whole year, and then celebrate with a dinner on the premises, enjoying the fruits of a year’s labours. This is one of the British traits I love the most – If you’re curious to know more things I love about the United Kingdom, you might want to read my interview with Giò Brando .

The boathouse

Nope, I didn’t know about the boathouse, so when our walk in the park led us there after a few winding turns…

It’s possible to look inside, which is all in brown wood except the white fireplace and the arched windows opening up on to a view of the Dart and its sailing boats.

What a true Agatha Christie fan could ask for more?

Have your lunch in Agatha Christie’s kitchen

There’s actually one thing I missed during our visit. The National Trust – did I mention how grateful I am that the British created the National Trust, and what a good job they do not only of taking care of places, but of making them come alive for the enjoyment of the public? – invites visitors to Greenway to have lunch on the premises. I can’t remember if it’s in the kitchen or the living room , but sadly we weren’t able to partake as it was “Closed for Lunch”. But lunch, Agatha Christie style, in her home! If you’re planning a visit… well, don’t overlook this treat.

More information on Greenway

Visit Greenway Adriana Licio Cozy Mysteries with an Italian Flair

There are a few parking places at Greenway, but they need to be booked in advance. My advice is to arrive by boat, as we did.

If you’re looking for update information to organise your visit have a look at the National Trust Website – Greenway

If you want help to organise your holidays in Devon – there’s so much to see and enjoy – check the Visit Devon website

Devon is a superfriendly pet location. Frodo approved!

I can’t suggest accommodation since we usually home swap when we travel. We’ve been doing this for the past 15 years, and advise all curious people to try it at least once in their lifetime.

Books related to Greenway

I’ve described those two books (and more!) in my list of favourite mysteries by Agatha Christie: Favourite Agatha Christie’s mysteries: a (rather personal) list

This article features affiliate links , meaning that if you’re buying books or anything else starting from these links, Amazon will give me a small percentage of their sales. This comes with no extra cost to you. I’m a firm believer that affiliations are a nice way to support an author or blogger you trust 🙂

thank you for sharing your visit! So interesting and beautiful! One day I hope to visit!

Thanks for passing by, Charlene. And yes, I wish all Agatha Christie’s fans to be able to visit 🙂

Wow, you could be a travel writer! And what a beautiful area of Britain plus the fascinating home of Agatha Christie -would definitely make a great vacation!

Hi Linda, thanks for passing by… in fact in my Italian Village Mystery series, my sleuth is exactly that: a travel writer. I’m glad you enjoyed a virtual visit to Greenway – I could repeat anytime 🙂

Thank you for sharing these pictures! Since Agatha Christie is my favorite author, I would love to go and see the area. I didn’t know it was owned by the National Trust and that people could visit it. I agree that Agatha Christie’s autobiography is one of my favorite books to read. I hadn’t even heard of house swapping until I read your books. I had to look it up and see how it works. It sounds fascinating! If you’ve been doing it for 15 years, you must enjoy it. Thank you for sharing your trip with us!

I’m glad you discovered Greenway, a real visit is a lifetime treasure for Agatha Christie’s fans. And the whole area is well worth a visit. We visited during a swap in Salcombe (in front of Burgh Island…) and I doubt we would have ended up there without that particular invitation. The place was too bookish, too ideal for me to realise it really existed!

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I’m Adriana Licio and I write Cozy Mysteries set in a quaint sea town all the way down the Italian boot.

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The History Hit Miscellany of Facts, Figures and Fascinating Finds

Agatha Christie’s House – Greenway House

South Hams, England, United Kingdom

Greenway is a stunning 18th century Grade II-listed Georgian mansion near Galmpton in Devon and it was the holiday home of the world-famous ‘Queen of Crime’, Agatha Christie. See the house just as she left it and take a glimpse into the private life of one of the world’s most celebrated authors.

Lily Johnson

05 may 2021.

About Agatha Christie’s House – Greenway House

Greenway House is a stunning 18th century Grade II-listed Georgian mansion in Devon. Overlooking the River Dart, the picturesque site was once the holiday home of prolific author Agatha Christie and is today full of some of her best-loved possessions.

Greenway House history

Greenway House was first mentioned as ‘Greynway’ in 1493, with a Tudor mansion gracing the site in the 16th century where Humphrey Gilbert (half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh ) was born. The present house was built in the 18th century however, and was added to over the next century and a half.

While the house is famed for its beauty and location, another reason draws people from all over the world come to Greenway – it was the holiday home of Agatha Christie, the ‘Queen of Crime’ and one of the world’s most prolific authors. She bought the house in 1938 with her husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, and lived there until she died in 1976 (and he, 2 years later).

Though it’s widely accepted she didn’t actually write any of her novels at Greenway, it does feature in Five Little Pigs, Towards Zero, and Dead Man’s Folly. With a deep appreciation for the house, Christie once described it as ‘the loveliest place in the world’.

Greenway House today

Today Greenway House is open to visitors and offers a rare insight into Christie’s private life. Each room is packed full of the trinkets she loved, including the dominoes and card games she played in front of the Drawing Room’s fireplace, and her beautiful Steinway piano. Her picnic baskets and walking sticks tell tales of hot, lazy afternoons in the grounds, and since her family were avid collectors there are a staggering 11,000 items in the house to peruse.

You’ll find china, silverware, pottery, tapestries, wooden Maucheline-ware and a lovely collection of Stevengraphs – silk bookmarks or pictures made by Thomas Stevens, a Coventry silk ribbon manufacturer. Of course an intimidating collection of books are also piled high in every available space and on every available surface.

The grounds include a walled garden, peach house, vinery, and a beautiful fernery, as well as a quirky dog cemetery where her pets are buried. Unusually, there is also a Napoleonic-era battery built around 1790 in the grounds, and further along a Boathouse may be found that was the ‘scene of the crime’ in the Poirot mystery Dead Man’s Folly!

Getting to Greenway House

Greenway House is located near Brixham in Devon, and can be accessed from Torquay and Paignton by following the signs to Brixham until you reach the village of Churston. From there brown tourist signs direct you to Greenway House, at which there is parking. The nearest train stations are Churston, 2 miles away, and Paignton, 4.5 miles away. A daily ferry service also runs from Dittisham, where pay and display parking is available at The Ham car park.

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Greenway Estate - Agatha Christie House

Photo credit - Manhattan Research Inc @ Wikipedia

The Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon used to be the summer house of the famous crime novelist Agatha Christie (1890-1976) and the place she called “the loveliest place in the world!”

It is a historic Georgian house that resides by the River Dart, surrounded by beautiful and romantic gardens. Christie purchased it with her second husband, Max Mallowan, as a holiday home in 1938, and the family had spent many of their summers and holidays there. Here she wrote several of her novels and got the inspiration for four crime fiction novels – The ABC Murders (1936), Five Little Pigs (1942), Towards Zero (1944), and Dead Man’s Folly (1956). The latter was adapted into a movie filmed in Greenway and its boathouse (where the murder scene occurred).

Christie selected all the items in the house, including the furniture, decorations, sentimental items she brought from her childhood home, and unique items from her travels worldwide and her husband’s Middle Eastern excavations.

In 2000, the family gifted the Greenway estate to the National Trust. Soon after, the gardens got opened to the public without access to the house since her daughter and son-in-law, Rosalind and Anthony Hicks, occupied it. When they passed away in 2005, Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard, gifted the house and its contents to the National Trust. After a massive restoration project, Greenway House was opened to the public in February 2009.

The house got organized as it was in 1950, presenting personal items, art collections, books, photographs, and portraits in the different rooms, including the Morning Room, the Drawing Room, the Kitchens, and the library. It allows the visitors to get a pick into the author’s life and her family’s as they explore the house and the feeling they are about to enter at any time.

Also on Greenway is a second-hand book shop, a gift shop with lots of themed souvenirs, and the Greenway House tea rooms.

Do not miss strolling the gardens, the view at the battery point, and the visit to the famous boathouse.

Among the annual special events held in Greenway are the Greenway Literary Festival in June, the International Agatha Christie Festival on Christie’s birthday on September 15th, and the Autumn Tea Festival.

13 km north of Greenway lays Torquay, a beautiful town on the English Riviera and the hometown of Agatha Christie. A self-guided walking tour along Torquay’s seafront follows many of Christie’s landmarks and memories as part of the Agatha Christie Mile – a celebration of Christie’s legacy.

Agatha Christie's Greenway House and Garden

Step inside Agatha Christie's former holiday home, Greenway, as Christie's grandson takes you on a tour of the house and garden. Mathew Prichard shares some of his dearest memories of Greenway Estate which is now run by the National Trust and open to visitors between February and October.

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Greenway House - At Home With Agatha Christie

[pullquote]She called it “the loveliest place in the world”[/pullquote]

Greenway is a place to get to know Agatha Christie, to sneak beyond the curtain and see the personal world of the Grand Dame

During the Great War, the Town Hall in Torquay was converted into a military hospital for soldiers grievously wounded in the trenches of France or Belgium. Agatha worked in the dispensary, and picked up a knowledge of medicines, and poisons, that she would later put to good use. When she married Lieutenant Archibald Christie, they honeymooned at the Grand Hotel—just before her young husband was shipped off to the stagnant and deadly battle front.

Agatha Christie went on, of course, to become the best-selling author in the world. And she still is, more than 30 years after her death in 1976. With Christie’s success as a writer beginning in the 1920s, in one sense she left the localized world of Torquay behind. Her marriage to Archibald did not last, perhaps yet another casualty of that devastating war. In 1930, Christie married noted archaeologist Max Mallowen. They made “home” in Berkshire. After all, by then, Agatha was becoming in demand by the literary world. And together, they were making periodic expeditions to archaeological digs Mallowen directed in the Middle East—places like Ninevah and Tyre.

Bust of Agatha Christie

In 1938, now independently affluent from her writing, Agatha Christie herself returned to Torbay, and purchased a Georgian manor, Greenway House. On the River Dart, just around the bend from Dartmouth and the Dart estuary, and a country lane out of the village of Galhampton, Greenway sits on rising ground overlooking the placid Dart river valley.

This year, for the first time, Greenway House is open to the public. It is, in fact, the first time a residence of this most famous author has been open—to give a personality, a face to her intriguing life and work.

Though the property had been deeded to the National Trust (and its gardens open to the public for several years), Greenway was home to her daughter and son-in-law, Rosalind and Anthony Hicks until their recent deaths. Agatha’s grandson, Michael Prichard, then determined that the home as Agatha herself knew and loved it, be made available to the public.

While Greenway was never Agatha’s primary residence, it was for a generation the family holiday retreat—where the family gathered for Christmas and Easter, and where she spent her summers. As her grandson and the NT developed Greenway House for “public consumption,” they determined that it ought to remain her home—and not a museum to Miss Marple. Today, Greenway is restored and furnished as Christie and Max Mallowen would have known it in the 1950s.

Beautiful stained glass window at Greenway

Greenway is not easy to get to in any event. The preferred and recommended method of arrival is by boat—passenger ferry from Torbay, Dartmouth or across the river from Dittisham. The NT calls it the “Green Way” to arrive at Greenway, but they’re being disingenuous. If you are staying along Tor Bay, Greenway is an all-day cruise and visit. If you are driving around to Dartmouth or Dittisham, it is a 20-mile drive around the estuary to Dartmouth then a £7.50 per person ferry ride to Greenway Quay. Any way you arrive at the quay, it is a 400-yard climb up hill to the house and gardens. This is not a trip for those with limited mobility.

By road, Greenway lies through Galmpton village off the A3022 between Paignton and Brixham. It is a single track lane more than a mile and a half to Greenway. If you are arriving by car, you absolutely must have prebooked a time to arrive and park at Greenway. Or to get closer than Galmpton village. That means the single lane leading to Greenway is peppered with foot visitors hiking to and from wherever they managed to ditch their car in tiny Galmpton.

However you get to Greenway, though, you are sure to conclude that the effort was worth it. This is a great visit. The house itself is surrounded by gardens—walled gardens, conservatories, orchards and woodland gardens. Through the spring months here on the English Riviera, the climate produces an early profusion of rhododendron, camellias and the like. The gardens at Greenway have been open to the public since 2003. They are elegant and well-tended.

There are plenty of places to visit and things to eat at in Agatha Christie's home

Greenway House itself required several million pounds worth of structural and cosmetic repairs to bring it into condition for public opening. Fortunately, none of the investment shows to spoil the period visit we are meant to enjoy. After admission on timed ticket, a steward provides a valuable introduction in the hall, and then we are left to wander—expecting the family to return any time.

18th-century boathouse at Greenway

My favorite room was the library; apparently it was Christie’s as well. After breakfast, she would start her morning’s reading in a wingback chair set in the southern corner, with the morning light streaming over her shoulder. A drinks tray sits by the door, as it did when Greenway was acquisitioned as an officers’ mess during World War II. Officers of the 10th U.S. Coast Guard flotilla headquartered here in the run-up to D-Day. One Lieutenant Marshall Lee painted an extraordinary frieze of the war up to that time running along three sides of the library’s upper walls. Agatha preserved the mural intact after resuming possession of the house.

From kitchen and morning room to Agatha’s bedroom, the house is open, and it is definitely hers. In her bedroom, the metal camp bed from her archaeological digs still stands, her luggage is ready and her clothes hang in the dressing room.

Gardens at Greenway House

Tricky business, that. The NT and Christie grandson Michael Prichard faced a formidable task to make Greenway a site of worthy grandeur, yet not to have the physical property overwhelm the experience of Agatha Christie and her family at home here. They succeeded brilliantly.

If you just want to go see great gardens and a lovely English manor house, there are scores of options. Go there. Greenway is a place to get to know Agatha Christie, to sneak beyond the curtain of time and place and see the personal world of the Grand Dame of the English murder mystery.

The ferry landing lies on the riverbank at the bottom of Greenway's lawns and woodland gardens.

Agatha Christie fans have always had plenty to draw them to the area—from the Imperial and Grand hotels, Torre Abbey and Cockington to the little church in Churston Ferrers where she attended when at Greenway and whose stained glass east window she commissioned. Greenway House adds a centerpiece, a destination-worthy attraction, for an Agatha Christie visit in South Devon. As word gets around, the next few years will see an increasing stream of Christie-inspired visits to Torbay. Greenway House will prove to be a jewel in Tor Bay’s crown and in that of the National Trust. It’s already too late to get there before the crowd.

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Six destinations every Agatha Christie fan should visit

The crime writer’s life was full of mystery and adventure, her novels even more so. we take a closer look at six destinations that shaped the life and works of the legendary queen of crime..

Burgh Island Hotel, Devon, offers old-world glamour and is the setting for two of Agatha Christie’s novels.

It doesn’t take many ‘little grey cells’ to deduce that Agatha Christie, one of the world’s most eminent crime fiction writers, was a fervent globetrotter. Much of the inspiration for her novels (famously fraught with whodunits led by enduring characters like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple) came from her own life adventures, including growing up in Devon and her Middle Eastern escapades with her archaeologist husband. A century after the UK publication of her first novel,  The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1921), Christie is still passionately celebrated by wannabe sleuths and crime fiction fans everywhere, from an annual festival in her hometown of Torquay to tours and hotel packages around the world.

1. Torquay, England

This should be the first stop for all true Christie fans. The birthplace of the author in 1890, this Devonian town is home to the annual  International Agatha Christie Festival  at Torre Abbey, complete with a programme of talks, performances and writing competitions in honour of the best-selling writer. Don’t leave Torquay without completing The Agatha Christie Mile —  launched in 1990 to mark the centenary of her birth. The self-guided walk takes you to 11 key spots in Christie’s life, including  The Grand Hotel , which has its own Agatha Christie Suite (she spent her honeymoon here); Princess Gardens, frequented by Christie and a key feature in  The ABC Murders (1936); and  Torquay Museum , home to manuscripts, original photos and costumes worn by the likes of actor David Suchet in the television programme Agatha Christie’s Poirot (1989-2013).

2. Greenway House, England

Christie described Greenway House , her holiday home and personal retreat, as “the loveliest place in the world”. Now a National Trust property, the house offers fans an extraordinary glimpse into the life of the author, who used to bring her family here to relax during holidays or after she’d finished writing a novel. Christie set three of her stories in this area:  Five Little Pigs (1942),  Dead Man’s Folly  (1956) and  Ordeal by Innocence (1958). The Devon property is located on a large woodland area just by the River Dart, and houses thousands of items from the family’s personal collections — from books and dolls to homeopathic medicine bottles and family portraits.

Read more: Eight of the world's best historic bookshops

Inspiration for Death on the Nile came in 1933 when Christie and her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, sailed aboard the opulent Steam Ship Sudan from Aswan to Luxor in Egypt.

It’s no mystery that Christie had a strong affinity with Egypt. The author based two of her novels here: Death Comes as the End (1944) , set in the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes (and the only Christie novel not set in the 20 th century); and Death on the Nile (1937) , the story of a murder that takes place on a luxury cruise on the River Nile. Inspiration for Death on the Nile , among one of her most famous novels, came in 1933, when Christie and her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, sailed aboard the opulent Steam Ship Sudan from Aswan to Luxor. You can channel Christie’s Egyptian odysseys by booking the very same journey, which takes in sights including the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Edfu and Temple of Karnak. Or by checking into the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, believed to be where Christie wrote the thriller.

4. Harrogate, England

When the author mysteriously disappeared from her Berkshire home for 11 days in 1929, it sparked a manhunt that echoed her own tales. Over 1,000 police officers were assigned to find her, and even Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, was involved in the search. She was eventually found at The Old Swan Hotel (then known as Swan Hydro) in Harrogate, with no recollection of how she got there. Today, the hotel offers a fun array of murder mystery events and themed weekends. The historic centre of Harrogate is also a short walk away, and home to verdant gardens, historical sights and Turkish baths.

A century after the UK publication of her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie is still passionately celebrated by wannabe sleuths and crime fiction fans everywhere, from an annual festival in her hometown of Torquay to tours and hotel packages around the world.

5. Istanbul, Turkey

Rumour has it that room 411 of Pera Palace Hotel , Istanbul, is where Christie penned one of her most famous novels, Murder on the Orient Express (1934) . The grand hotel, situated in the city’s Beyoglu district, was built to house those travelling on the Orient Express from Paris and London to Istanbul. It still offers The Agatha Christie Room, complete with portraits, a library of her books and a replica of her typewriter. In 1979, all eyes were on room 411 when a Hollywood medium claimed that the ghost of the late author told her that under the floorboards was a key to a diary detailing her infamous 11-day disappearance in 1926. Bizarrely, a key was found, but the diary wasn’t. Christie herself travelled on the Orient Express in 1928, which was her first solo trip outside of England.

6. Burgh Island, England

This isolated island, sat just off the coast of south Devon, is a nugget of old-world glamour and the setting for two of Christie’s novels, And Then There Were None (1939) and Evil Under the Sun (1941) . It’s reached via a narrow strip of land during low-tide, and, once the water levels rise, can only be accessed aboard a one-of-a-kind hydraulic sea tractor. Must-sees include the art-deco Burgh Island Hotel (where you’ll find Agatha’s Beach House, built as a retreat for the writer), which has bedrooms named for her most famous sleuths: Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple.

For more information, visit agathachristie.com

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Dartmouth to Greenway House

Sailing to and fro – ferries run everyday, every hour, departing dartmouth.

Departs Dartmouth Town Pontoon 10.00*, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.30, 15.30

Returns from Greenway  10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00, *17.00 *Peak season only

EVERY DAY from 1st March until 1st November – All services are available to book online now.

Passengers wishing to travel with us please note the following: If you do not want to book online and would prefer to pay on the boat on your day of travel or at our booking office opposite Boots the Chemist in Dartmouth. If you are unsure of anything please do give us a call and we will be happy to assist or go to our booking office next to Boots the Chemist in Dartmouth where tickets are also available. We are a family run company and the official operators of the Greenway Ferry. This is a preferred direct official direct service to Greenway provided on behalf of the National Trust to Greenway House from Dartmouth and includes a car service from Greenway Quay to the NT for the less able bodied.

Prices do not include entrance to Greenway. NT members receive free entrance. Due to the popularity of this fantastic day trip, there may be a slight delay viewing the house, however we pre book your timed tickets for collection at Greenway ready for when you arrive. You will be given set return times during busy periods.

Departing Greenway

Departs Greenway Quay 9.30, 10.30, 11.30, 12.30, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00, *17.00 * Peak season only

Departs from Dartmouth Town Pontoon 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 14.30, 15.30, 16.30

Passengers wishing to travel with us please note the following: You can catch the ferry from Greenway Quay at the times above – tickets available from the little Kiosk on the Quay or from Dittisham Pontoon arriving 5 minutes prior to published times above and ringing the bell outside the Ferry Boat Inn.

Return Ticket • Adult £13.50 (15 years +) • Child £11.00 (4 – 14 years)

Single Ticket • Adult £11.50 (15 years +) • Child £8.50 (4 – 14 years) • Under 4’s and dogs travel for free

(Group discounts available)

Visit Agatha Christies Greenway House from Dartmouth

Overlooking some of the most stunning views of the river Dart stands the home of Agatha Christie – the worlds Queen of Crime. There is certainly no better, easier or more popular way to arrive than by river boat along the beautiful river Dart – the 30 minute exclusive cruise departing Dartmouth and operated for the National Trust starts the day in a most beautiful way as we set sail up the majestic river, passing some of the most picturesque scenery Devon has to offer, aboard the aptly named twin decked passenger vessel Christie Belle with licensed bar and restroom facilities or our new vessel Hercule. Sit back and relax as our knowledgeable captain gives you a glimpse into the history and sights with his commentary of the river Dart in his Devonian accent – a passenger highlight. Passing Sir Walter Raleigh’s boathouse on route and viewing the Greenway Estate from the river gives you a splendid perspective of where you are about to visit before arriving by boat directly to Greenway Quay – a private quay on the river. The waterborne entrance to Greenway all adds to the occasion and the Greenway experience. Walking in the footsteps of Poirot himself when landing at Greenway Quay the film location of ‘Dead Mans Folly’ you’ll be astounded by the beauty of the area with unrestricted views of Dittisham village and up river towards Totnes. Greenway Quay is an ideal spot for a cup of tea, ice cream or little treat where you can relax and enjoy the view by the water. The ferry returns every hour from where you disembarked.

Greenway House is a short 5 minute stroll, just behind Greenway Quay. For those whom are less mobile the National Trust car meets in conjunction with the ferry landing times to whisk you straight to the door of Greenway House – arrive like a true VIP guest.

You can book this service online or from our booking office in the centre of Dartmouth opposite Boots the Chemist – find us at postcode TQ6 9PS. If parking in Dartmouth – off season you can use the town car park, in peak season use the Park and Ride.

For more information on Greenway – please visit the National Trusts website .

Visit Dartmouth from Greenway Quay

Greenway Quay is situated on the rivers edge in Galmpton near Brixham and Paignton. You can catch the Christie Belle or Hercule to Dartmouth town centre every hour. This is a direct service to. If staying at one of the local camps or indeed want a simple and easy way to visit Dartmouth without taking the car, this is ideal for you. Dartmouth is a magical riverside town to submerse yourself in. Famous for the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Regatta and both Kingswear and Dartmouth Castles. Stop for a meal or look around and shop in one of Devon’s most unique riverside towns.

Ferries sail to and fro every hour – so you can hop back on when you please. You can book this service online or from our booking office on Greenway Quay.

Find us at postcode TQ5 0ES to catch the boat.

For more information on Dartmouth visit Discover Dartmouth .

When at Greenway in addition to the fantastic views and scenery be sure NOT TO MISS…

The Boathouse on the river bank
Christie’s secret letters
Daily garden walks lead by the gardeners
Agatha Christies Drawing Room & Steinway piano
Library Frieze – painted during WWII
Peach House
Find out about Archaeological digs by Max Mallowan – Agatha Christie’s husband

For further information on Greenway House visit the National Trust Website or see our Plan Your Visit to Greenway; To See and Do

Looking for a different ferry? See below…

Dartmouth to dittisham ferry, dittisham to greenway ferry, one hour river cruises, special events, view our departure and pick points on the river dart….

Home of Agatha Christie

Getting to agatha christie's greenway.

Getting to Greenway by car

Greenway is tucked away down country lanes just beyond the village of Galmpton. The lanes are narrow and drivers do need to take care as they can get relatively busy in the summer months.

The house is on the banks of The River Dart. It can be reached by car and is approximately 25 minutes from Torquay. Visitors wanting to use their car to get to the house need to book them in. This can be done by telephone on 01803 842382 or if the visit is more than 24 hours away it can be done online .

Getting to Greenway by Steam Train

For visitors who have a bit of time on their hands and who are wanting to immerse themselves in a more authentic Agatha Christie atmosphere, an alternative way to get to Greenway is by steam train. The service is operated by The Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company and there are daily services for most of the year (with the exception of January).

Trains leave the company's Paignton station (which is located alongside the mainline railway station) and services stop at Kingswear. Passengers can then cross the river and pick up a river boat on Dartmouth Quayside and travel to Greenway's very own quay. After the visit, passengers can then retrace their original outward journey.

Dartmouth Steam Railway to Agatha Christie's Greenway

Getting to Greenway by Boat

For visitors who make their way to Dartmouth, a river boat service operates from Dartmouth Quay to Greenway Quay. This is operated by the Greenway and Dittisham Ferry Company and runs from February (when the house opens) through to the end of December.

The exact level of service depends upon the opeing times of the house but in the peak months is an hourly service. The walk up from the quayside to the house is moderately challenging.

For visitors with restricted mobility, a buggy operates from the main car park to the house as well as from the quay up to the house.

Greenway Ferry - getting to Agatha Christie's house by boat

Check availability and rates at our Self Catering Accommodation in Torquay for your Agatha Christie break

If you are interested in visitng Agatha Christie's Greenway and are looking for places to stay we have a range of self catering accommodation on offer. Please click on the accommodation panels on this page for details and to check rates and availability.

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Book Direct - Book With Confidence

In these difficult times, you can book your break away in Agatha Christie's Torquay with confidence.

We offer optional Booking Protect Refund Protection, a lockdown guarantee should you be prevented from travel and Covid Safe accredited accommodation.

The Muntham Luxury Town House

Luxury accommodation with private hot tub in a peaceful area of Torquay which makes an ideal base from which to explore all that The English Riviera has to offer.

The Braeside Apartment

A spacious and luxury two bedroom apartment in the Wellswood area of Torquay.

The Tramontane Apartment at Hesketh Crescent

A luxury one bedroom apartment with allocated parking just a stone's throw from one of Agatha Christie's favourite beaches.

Lisburne Place Luxury Holiday Rental

Luxury, three bedroom, Town House Style Self Catering Accommodation in a superb location close to the town centre and harbour.

Cool Bookish Places: Agatha Christie’s House in Devon, UK

Lucas Maxwell

Lucas Maxwell has been working with youth in libraries for over fifteen years. Originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, he's been a high school librarian in London, UK for over a decade. In 2017 he won the UK's School Librarian of the Year award and in 2022 he was named the UK Literacy Association's Reading For Pleasure Teacher Champion. He loves Dungeons & Dragons and is the author of Let's Roll: A Guide for Setting up Tabletop Roleplaying Games in Your School or Public Library. You can follow him on Twitter and on his blog .

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Situated on a beautiful estate on the River Dart in Devon, UK, Agatha Christie bought the Greenway Estate in 1938. She spent summers and other holidays there until she died in 1976.

There is a vegetable garden next to the house that is maintained by students from a nearby school. The inside of the house is filled with amazing trinkets and pieces of Christie’s life.

There’s even a chance to play Christie’s piano as it is on full display in the house. I can’t play a piano to save my life; however, it was nice to see other tourists escaping the heat to plonk out a few tunes.

Outside are beautiful gardens, peach houses, vinery and walled flower gardens. You can almost see Agatha Christie and her friends and family wandering the garden or her sitting there, writing a novel full of death and suspense.

Walking down the path to Christie’s boathouse looks over the river dart with paddle steamboats and a view of nearby villages. It’s a perfect getaway for anyone who loves Christie’s works or simply loves literature, relaxing and clearing the head.

Read With Jenna, the Jenna Bush Hager Book Club

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Inspiration and links to plan your trip.

England: A Luxury Stay in Agatha’s House

Experience the world of agatha christie, england’s most famous author after shakespeare.

The English Riviera, Devon, home of Agatha Christie tours.

By Stephanie DiCarlo

Often, travel starts first in the imagination.

Take it from someone who’s been there; as an avid reader growing up and an English major in college, I’ve always studied and loved to read British literature, to the point where it inspired me to study abroad in Leeds, England during my junior year.

Agatha Christie

Which brings to me to Agatha Christie , a British crime novelist who wrote scores of detective novels during the 80 years of her life Torquay, Devon, England , in a town along the southern English Riviera. A classic author in crime literature, her hundreds of books have captured the imaginations of millions of readers.

If you’re one of them, these Agatha Christie tours along the English Riviera are sure to satisfy the wanderlust born in your imagination.

The English Riviera will give you a glimpse not only into Christie’s novels but her life as well.

One popular tour is the Agatha Christie Mile . This mile-long walk brings you to ten key landmarks related to Christie, and the fun part is, at eight of these landmarks there is a clue that, in the end, spells out the name of one of Christie’s famous characters.

On this tour, you will see the hotel that Christie and her husband famously honeymooned at, as well as the Greenway house, where Christie lived and penned many of her famous novels.

Also on the itinerary are sights that Christie used as settings for many scenes in her novels. If you are familiar with her books, it may be like walking into a scene from one of her books. Also on the list of sights is the Torquay Museum, home to the UK’s only Agatha Christie Exhibition.

Also on this literary walk, you will come upon places Christie used to spend time, such as the Princess Pier, where she used to spend time roller skating with friends, or The Pavilion, where she was proposed to by her husband, Archie Christie.

In addition to the sights of Christie’s life and novels, this tour will allow you to see some beautiful English seaside, as well as gardens and various parts of Torquay. Even

if one comes with little knowledge of Christie, you will be sure to learn a lot, and appreciate the English culture that this tour has to offer. You can find the complete list of sights for this tour here.

High Tea at the Orestone Manor in Devon, England.

Agatha Christie Festival And if you visit in September, the Agatha Christie International Festival is something you definitely would not want to miss. Celebrating Christie’s literature and life, this festival offers murder mystery parties, vintage bus rides, and readings of Christie’s work by Christie’s grandson himself.

So, go to the Riviera, explore Christie’s world and let yourself be treated as a proper tourist at this popular destination. While you stay here, a wonderful place to stay is the Orestone Manor. This luxury hotel is family run and in a perfect location along the Riviera.

This hotel prides itself on its English charm and the romance in the style of its rooms–You can stay in the garden suite, a hideaway with a beautiful view of the sea, as well as a hot tub of your very own, or the Horsley Suite, one of their most requested rooms, with a giant window to the view of the sea.

Spend the day exploring the Riviera and seeing the sights of Agatha Christie, and return to your room for relaxation, beauty, and luxury after a tiring day.

This manor also has fine dining– before turning in you can stop for tea, or a meal. Even if you aren’t staying there, you can always stop by for the food! While many guests like to dress up, the Manor says wear whatever you’re comfortable in, but if you’re staying in luxury, it can be fun to dine like you’re luxury too!

The Orestone Manor also offers their own knowledge of Christie- any question you have, they can answer. Their guests also have full access to Unique Devon Tours , which will allow you to tour nearly anything you’d like to see in Devon. If you like Agatha Christie, or simply want to experience a stay at a luxurious stay at one of England’s more popular vacation destinations, the English Riviera is calling for you. It’s full of the very charm that literature lovers seek, and will definitely be a romantic experience.

Book your room at the Orestone Manor!

Stephanie DiCarlo is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and has a Bachelor’s degree in English and History, as well as a specialization in creative writing. She also writes for the young adult literature magazine Ultimate YA and she likes to travel and eat good food. You can follow her on Twitter at @ccioSteph

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Styles House

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Styles House, Sunningdale , Berkshire

Styles is the name Archie and Agatha Christie gave to their home in Sunningdale, on the Surrey / Berkshire border. The name comes from Styles Court , the mansion in Agatha's first published novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles . The couple moved here in the 1920s after moving out from the apartment they had rented at the nearby Scotswood . The house is located on Charters Road in Sunningdale and, like Scotswood, within walking distance of Sunningdale Golf Club and thus convenient for Archie's hobby. It was also located near the train station.

Agatha Christie and Archie thought Sunningdale was an ideal location but found Scotswood was small and had various disadvantages. They went house hunting (one of her hobbies) and found a house near the station: "a sort of millionaire-style Savoy suite transferred to the country and decorated regardless of expense. It had panelled walls and quantities of bathrooms, basins in bedrooms, and every other luxury ... Anyway, it was going cheap as it had been on the market for some time. It had a pleasant garden–long and narrow, comprising first a lawn, then a stream with a great many water plants, then wild garden with azaleas and rhododendrons, and so on to the end, where there was a good solid kitchen garden, and beyond it a tangle of gorse bushes." [1] They bought the house despite it having a reputation for being an "unlucky house". Everyone who lived there always had something unfortunately happening to his career, his business or his marriage. At Archie's suggestion, they named the house Styles House, after the book she had just published and which launched her, by now, successful, writing career.

It was from here that Agatha Christie disappeared in 1926. It appears that she tried to sell the house about a year after the disappearance. Presumably this location had too many unhappy memories for her. She wrote: "But Styles proved what it had been in the past to others. It was an unlucky house. I felt it when I first went into it. I put my fancy down to the fact that the decorations were so flashy and unnatural for the country...." [2]

References [ ]

↑ Agatha Christie, An Autobiography (London: HarperCollins, 2010), 308, ebook edition.
↑ Agatha Christie, An Autobiography (London: HarperCollins, 2010), 309, ebook edition.
1 The Case of the Missing Will (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode)
2 The Chocolate Box (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode)
3 Hickory Dickory Dock (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode)

BritBox’s newest Agatha Christie adaptation Murder Is Easy reexamines the canon

Two people, an older white woman and a younger Black man, sit across from each other on a train

BritBox kicked off March 2024 with a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery classic Murder Is Easy . BritBox, along with production company Mammoth Screen and ITV, officially took over from the BBC stewardship of the made-for-television and streaming Christie adaptations starting with last year’s premiere of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?

Agatha Christie’s mystery novels and short stories have never fallen out of favor with mystery fans. Her novels and short stories have influenced generations of authors and screenwriters to adapt her works or incorporate elements of her themes into original stories. Recent television and movie adaptations have decided to remove racial and antisemitic slurs, and toned down the sexism of Christie’s era. Murder is Easy takes this to the next level by confronting the spoken and unspoken bias in the text head-on.

The whodunit starts with Luke Fitzwilliam (David Jonsson) who is traveling to London to accept an appointment to a position at Whitehall. His seatmate on the train, Miss Pinkerton (Penelope Wilton), tells him she’s traveling to London to report to the police that several people have died in her home village under mysterious circumstances. She believes it’s the work of a serial killer, but local officials have dismissed her and ruled the mysterious deaths suicides or accidents. Fitzwilliam then travels to the village to see if the coincidences are intentional. He discovers quickly that very few of the people he meets are trustworthy except for TK (Morfydd Clark).

GBH Drama spoke to screenwriter Sian Ejiwunmi-Le Berre and actors David Jonsson and Morfydd Clark about how Murder Is Easy makes the viewers not only think about who the killer is, but also the way racism, sexism, and ageism/ableism affect everyone in the supposedly idyllic English village.

Mammoth Screen pitched Ejiwunmi-Le Berre directly to write Murder is Easy via her agent. She read all of the book in a single night before making her pitch about how the story should be adapted. “I think this is a furious little feminist, culturally challenging, experimental novel,” Ejiwunmi-Le Berre said. “When you're adapting a book — and I've adapted a few now — it's like meeting somebody at a dinner party and you have a conversation with them and you find these points of interest, and you're not going to get to know them inside and out. It's not like you're writing the biography. I'm not here to write Agatha's biography. I'm here to adapt this book. It was who she was, and what she was thinking about on that particular day. On that particular day, I think she was steamingly furious about women's position in the world, and that was going to attract me. I also felt that it was really interesting, and obviously in a time-constricted, period-constricted perspective about class and culture and the stratifications of a British class system within the microcosm of the English village, which has been the purview of British novelists from Jane Austen and Fanny Burney onwards. We write villages: the village is the world.”

The English village in period dramas, up until recent years, has been portrayed largely as a racially homogeneous idyll. However, the evidence from recent historical and cultural research clearly shows that the creation of many villages stems from slavery and colonialism going all the way back to the Austen era. Murder Is Easy joins recent MASTERPIECE period dramas All Creatures Great And Small , Grantchester , and Tom Jones plus ITV’s The Larkins in pushing back on the idea that no POC ever lived in or visited English villages before the contemporary era.

These facts are clear, however whitewashing of the source material has fooled some viewers into believing that what they’ve seen on screen is what happened. “It is disingenuous to pretend that empire and colonialism don't exist,” Ejiwunmi-Le Berre said. “I know that that causes some discomfort with people; that people may feel I've imposed on the book with an agenda. I think I've excavated the book honestly. In the book, the character of Luke Fitzwilliam, who became Luke Obiako Fitzwilliam in my rendering, is a colonial police officer returning after 20 years in empire service from a fictional place. Obviously, in an adaptation of Agatha Christie, you can't have a fictional place. Right from the start of the book, Luke Fitzwilliam is talking about where he's coming from and then he's talking to Ms. Pinkerton and she says, ‘Oh, my friend's son is over serving as a policeman in Palestine’ and the first people that he meets on the train are these two colonels.”

With this in mind, “I gave him a real place to come from and that was Nigeria, which was where my family came from. It was then really easy for me to base him on my father's experience and my grandfather's experience coming to the UK, in their case, in the '30s, '40s, '50s, and '60s. So we set it in the '50s.”

Murder Is Easy draws on Hitchcock and other classic movie references to create a hostile environment where Fitzwilliam doesn’t feel at home. Ejiwunmi-Le Berre said that she was also influenced by Jordan Peele’s Get Out in her approach. Last year, Tré Ventour-Griffiths, a Black British PhD student, argued in a Medium article that Get Out provided a perfect framework for exploring the dark side of the classic English village . However, Murder Is Easy falls short of involving the supernatural to influence events.

For fans who believe that Agatha Christie’s stories should not be adapted with an eye to continued relevance for international audiences, they should be aware that the current Mammoth Screen Executive Producer also worked on the 2004 MASTERPIECE Marple series adaptation , as well as the pre-BritBox miniseries adaptations found on Acorn and Amazon Prime. The corporate names may change, but the executive producers and the continued support from Christie’s estate remain a constant.

Ejiwunmi-Le Berre’s socially conscious script is what drew both Clark and Jonsson to their respective roles.

Fitzwilliam encounters several Nigels and Lady Karens who say increasingly outrageous racist and punchable things, but he doesn’t react to these the way a Black man in 2024 would. “What was wonderful about this adaptation is that we weren't going to shy away from some of those beats and not shying away from racism and other mess, that you have to bring some of your opinions to it and some of your stuff to it,” Jonsson said. “Although to stay true to the time, I think that energy and tension created a lot of the drama for our piece and I think that that's what viewers today will probably connect most with.”

Race in 1955 is not the only -ism Murder is Easy touches upon. Bridget is constantly talked down to by her fiance, and her observations on the crimes are ignored by all except Fitzwilliam. “The women in Agatha Christie's world have quite a limited life,” Clark said. “They live a much smaller life than their male counterparts. But I think also in terms of racism, it's quite interesting to look back [at] Agatha Christie's work because there was lots of racism in it and it's kind of important … as a British white woman to see where you come from and how it wasn't that long ago that things like this were being written. And that's why I think it's kind of great that we're going back to these stories and looking at them through different lenses, and I kind of think that that will continue to happen.”

Every great Agatha Christie production has an array of British drama heavy hitters playing possible suspects, and Murder Is Easy is no exception. In addition to Penelope Wilton, MASTERPIECE fans can spot Mark Bonnar from Guilt, Tom Riley from Marple 2004 and Inspector Lewis, and Tamzin Outhwaite from Ridley Road . UK drama fan favorites Douglas Henshall fresh off Shetland, Sinead Matthews from Midsomer Murders , and Matt Baynton from Ghosts UK also play untrustworthy residents of the village.

Ejiwunmi-Le Berre had to balance depicting Christie’s supporting cast from the novel and letting minor characters take valuable time away from Fitzwilliam and Bridget. ”Some of the more extreme characters we had to excise. Also, there are too many characters to put in a two-hour show, so there are composites. Then again, as with Luke Obiako, I wanted to reflect on my experience.”

For instance, some viewers may not be able to believe that Lord Whitfield (Tom Riley) is so blatantly rude, but this is exactly the experience that Ejiwunmi-Le Berre wanted to reflect. “Lord Whitfield represents a self-made man, particularly from the room at the top, 1950s generation that I recognize in my life, that I've encountered in my life and the feeling of exceptionalism,” Ejiwunmi-Le Berre said. “I thought that Lord Whitfield's religious fundamentalism, which is completely in the book, combined with his bootstrapping, narcissistic exceptionalism, was definitely a character that could speak to our times. He's a populist through and through. The doctor is a composite of two characters in the book. I won't say who, but I wanted to talk about eugenics.”

Eugenics is another topic, entwined with empire, that “purist” viewers don’t believe belongs in period dramas. “I encountered quite a lot of pushback over here with people saying, ‘well, it was post-second World War, so there can't have been any eugenics.’ Well, the guy who discovered the transistor ... and my brain has had a little blip ... and who set up Silicon Valley, was a eugenicist, and that's post-second World War. I had people coming through my family's household — my stepfather was a very eminent scientist, and his supervisor had at one point been Chair of the Eugenicist Society — and my stepfather was a Holocaust survivor. People don't realize that some of these ideas still persisted in different ways.”

Lord Whitfield is also a walking contradiction of racist and antiracist actions. “I felt completely justified in talking about that,” Ejiwunmi-Le Berre said. “I know that some people struggled with the idea that this eugenicist would fall in love with a young woman — and a much younger woman — of what we would call Asian descent; of Indian Pakistani descent. I didn't find any anomaly there at all. If white racist people didn't also want to have sex with people who are Black and brown, the world would look very different than it does.”

Murder Is Easy is the first television Agatha Christie adaptation to be written by a Black screenwriter. Hopefully viewers can set aside their preconceived notions about what the Christie canon should feel like, so it won’t be the last.

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7 Amazing Things To Do At The Agatha Christie Greenway House In Devon
Greenway, the holiday home of Agatha Christie, now owned by the
7 Amazing Things To Do At The Agatha Christie Greenway House In Devon
Visit Greenway, Agatha Christie’s House in Devon
Greenway House
Greenway, the Agatha Christie House

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Agatha Christie's House
‘Crooked House’ [Full Audiobook]
[4K] Agatha Christie's House, Puerto De La Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

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Visiting Greenway House
Access to the house. The entrance to Greenway House is from the front, facing the river. The path from the main visitor courtyard leads around the left hand side of the house to the front. Level access to the house is from the back - please ask a member of staff or a volunteer for directions. At the front, there are two steps leading to the ...
Greenway House
Greenway House. Take a glimpse into the life of Agatha Christie and her family at her former holiday home in Devon. The relaxed and atmospheric Georgian house is still set in the 1950s, and situated in a large and romantic woodland garden which sweeps down the hillside towards the River Dart. Agatha Christie (known locally by her married name ...
7 Amazing Things to Do at the Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon
Here you can see Taqiyah's or caps from Africa and Egyptian fly whisks. A cupboard from Zanzibar and sitting onto some studio pottery and an interesting pewter skull! In the morning room, which hasn't changed since the 1790s, you can also see some portraits of Agatha Christie as a child with her doll Rosie on display.
GREENWAY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
2,174 reviews. #1 of 1 things to do in Greenway. Historic SitesGardens. Closed now. 10:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Write a review. About. Take this extraordinary glimpse into the beloved holiday home of the famous and much-loved author Agatha Christie and her family.The relaxed and atmospheric house is set in the 1950s, and contains many of the family's ...
Greenway House: At home with Agatha Christie
7. Tucked on the banks of the River Dart near its estuary at Dartmouth, Greenway House is the first private residence of novelist Agatha Christie's to be opened to the public. Christie fans from all over the world are expected. Agatha Christie went on, of course, to become the best-selling author in the world.
Visiting Greenway
A white Georgian house of about 1780 or 90, with woods sweeping down to the Dart below, and a lot of fine shrubs and trees - the ideal house, a dream house". Christie's fame enabled her to buy Greenway as an adult and she obviously spent some very happy times there. In 1959 the author's daughter, Rosalind Hicks, bought Greenway from her ...
A day out at Greenway, Agatha Christie's beloved Devon home
This is already quite a long post, so I will content myself with saying: please do visit Greenway - and do so when the weather is good, if you can. You'll find the house fascinating whatever the time of year, but what makes Greenway, in Agatha Christie's words, "The loveliest place in the world" is its exterior - still enjoyed to ...
Visit Greenway, Agatha Christie's House in Devon
Another stand-out feature of this visit was the opportunity to browse Agatha Christie's bookshelves. Of course, you cannot touch the books, but that's not the point. You can get close to the cabinets and read each title one by one. As you can probably imagine, there are plenty of mysteries, and also books on poisons and collections of ...
Agatha Christie's House
The present house was built in the 18th century however, and was added to over the next century and a half. While the house is famed for its beauty and location, another reason draws people from all over the world come to Greenway - it was the holiday home of Agatha Christie, the 'Queen of Crime' and one of the world's most prolific ...
Greenway Estate
The Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon used to be the summer house of the famous crime novelist Agatha Christie (1890-1976) and the place she called "the loveliest place in the world! ... Do not miss strolling the gardens, the view at the battery point, and the visit to the famous boathouse.
The National Trust's Greenway House,
Agatha Christie's Greenway House. The house you see today is a handsome example of Gerorgian architecture with some later additions. The house is believed to be on the site of an earlier Tudor property. Visitors today get to see wonderful ground floor rooms containing some of the items collected by Agatha and her family.
Greenway House
Greenway is a place to get to know Agatha Christie, to sneak beyond the curtain of time and place and see the personal world of the Grand Dame of the English murder mystery. 7. The ferry landing lies on the riverbank at the bottom of Greenway's lawns and woodland gardens. The coast of Tor Bay, introduced last issue as the "English Riviera ...
Six destinations every Agatha Christie fan should visit
5. Istanbul, Turkey. Rumour has it that room 411 of Pera Palace Hotel, Istanbul, is where Christie penned one of her most famous novels, Murder on the Orient Express (1934). The grand hotel, situated in the city's Beyoglu district, was built to house those travelling on the Orient Express from Paris and London to Istanbul. It still offers The ...
Dartmouth to Greenway House Ferry
Visit Agatha Christies Greenway House from Dartmouth . Overlooking some of the most stunning views of the river Dart stands the home of Agatha Christie - the worlds Queen of Crime. There is certainly no better, easier or more popular way to arrive than by river boat along the beautiful river Dart - the 30 minute exclusive cruise departing ...
Agatha Christie's Greenway House and Garden
Step inside Agatha Christie's former holiday home, Greenway, as Christie's grandson takes you on a tour of the house and garden. Mathew Prichard shares some ...
Ways of getting Greenway House in Devon
This can be done by telephone on 01803 842382 or if the visit is more than 24 hours away it can be done online. Getting to Greenway by Steam Train For visitors who have a bit of time on their hands and who are wanting to immerse themselves in a more authentic Agatha Christie atmosphere, an alternative way to get to Greenway is by steam train.
Cool Bookish Places: Agatha Christie's House in Devon, UK
In fact, it has over 11,000 items that Agatha Christie collected, from dishes to figurines and of course, books. Lots and lots of books. There are books in every single room of the house, they seem to follow you from place to place. There's even a chance to play Christie's piano as it is on full display in the house.
The eight houses of Agatha Christie
One of her houses was hit by a bomb. Another one was loaned to refugees. Purchased just before the war, Greenway House is still her most well-known residence. It is a Georgian style house—some say Tudor—dating from 1790, which she got for a pittance. Agatha renovated almost the entire house. Greenway House d'Agatha Christie.
England: A Luxury Stay in Agatha's House
You can find the complete list of sights for this tour here. High Tea at the Orestone Manor in Devon, England. Agatha Christie Festival And if you visit in September, the Agatha Christie International Festival is something you definitely would not want to miss. Celebrating Christie's literature and life, this festival offers murder mystery ...
Can you visit Agatha Christie's house?
Yes, you can visit Agatha Christie's house, Greenway, which is located near Galmpton in Devon, England. Greenway is now owned by the National Trust and is open to visitors most of the year. Is Greenway open to the public? Yes, Greenway is open daily from 10.30am to 5pm until …
Styles House
Styles is the name Archie and Agatha Christie gave to their home in Sunningdale, on the Surrey/Berkshire border. The name comes from Styles Court, the mansion in Agatha's first published novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The couple moved here in the 1920s after moving out from the apartment they had rented at the nearby Scotswood. The house is located on Charters Road in Sunningdale and ...
BritBox's newest Agatha Christie adaptation Murder Is Easy reexamines
Agatha Christie's mystery novels and short stories have never fallen out of favor with mystery fans. Her novels and short stories have influenced generations of authors and screenwriters to adapt her works or incorporate elements of her themes into original stories. Recent television and movie adaptations have decided to remove racial and antisemitic slurs, and toned down the sexism of ...

What a prickle…

Greenway House

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A Greenway factfile

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7 Amazing Things to Do at the Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon – “The Loveliest Place in the World”!

Where did Agatha Christie live in Devon?

When did Agatha Christie buy Greenway?

The history of Greenway House in Devon

What Agatha Christie novels were inspired by Greenway House?

What has been filmed at Greenway House?

7 things to do at the Agatha Christie Greenway House in Devon

1. Visit the Greenway Second Hand Book Shop

2. Explore Greenway House – the loveliest place in the world

Entrance Hall & The Morning Room

The Drawing Room

The Kitchens

The Library

The Dining Room

The Bedroom

Staircase & Inner hall

3. Take a walk around the amazing manicured Greenway Gardens

The Top Garden

Tennis Courts, Greenway Walled Garden & Dahlia Border

The Greenway Bird

4. Visit the Greenway Boat House from Dead Man’s Folly!

5. Take in the views from the Battery with it’s own canons

6. Have a cream tea in the Greenway House tea rooms

7. Buy some incredible Agatha Christie inspired souvenirs in the gift shop

How to get to Greenway House in Devon

Greenway Halt – Steam Train to Greenway

Greenway Ferry

Walk to Greenway House

Drive to Greenway

Greenway House Parking

Accessibility at Greenway

Greenway House Ticket Prices

Greenway House opening times

Can you stay at Greenway House?

Greenway Apartment

The Lodge & South Lodge at Greenway

Where to stay near Greenway House – Bayard’s Cove Inn

More Agatha Christie things to do near Greenway House in Devon

Explore Torquay with the Agatha Christie’s Mystery Mile

Torre Abbey Potent Plants Garden

Visit Kents Cavern – Prehistoric Caves

Explore Cockington Village

Pay a visit to Burgh Island

Read more of my Devon travel guides

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GREENWAY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Visiting Greenway – Agatha Christie’s House

The Perfect Place to Visit

A Beautiful Family Home

Poirot and Captain Hasting in Deck Chairs

Inspiration for Christie’s Books

Agatha Christie’s Greenway

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Revisiting a More Elegant Era

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Greenway is a white Georgian building dating from around 1780–90, surrounded by lush woodland and enjoying spectacular views over the River Dart. Since it’s been restored and is now run by the National Trust, it’s a place no Agatha Christie fan will want to miss.

From Dartmouth to Greenway

A ride on the Dart River

Greenway, Agatha Christie’s house

Greenway’s library

Greenway is not a museum

Greenway’s gardens

The boathouse

Have your lunch in Agatha Christie’s kitchen

More information on Greenway