This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
We get very excited about visiting literary locations here at Novelicious. I mean, really excited. I’ve recently returned from a whirlwind tour of The English Riviera, where I discovered so many fascinating things about Agatha Christie, one of my favourite crime writers. Not only did she grow up in Torquay, and there are many places to visit associated with her, especially along the Agatha Christie Mile, but she also used many of the locations in her novels. These are just five examples.
1. Dead Man’s Folly – Agatha Christie’s very own house was the inspiration for the location in this novel. The white Georgian house called Greenway, which you can approach in real life via steam train, road or river and explore inside and out – it’s now owned by The National Trust – has its very own boat house on the river. This boat house was where a body was discovered during the village fete. Poirot investigates.
2. And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun – Both of these novels were based on Burgh Island and its hotel, a real-life island off the coast of Devon. The hotel and island were also used as the filming location in the TV adaptation of Evil Under the Sun starring David Suchet. In And Then There Were None, the island is called Soldier Island. Ten people are invited there, but the host fails to appear. In Evil Under the Sun, Poirot is holidaying on ‘Smugglers’ Island’ along with a cast of characters including Kenneth and Arlena Marshall, Sir Horace Blatt and Patrick and Christine Redfern (no relation).
3. ABC Murders – Why are people being killed alphabetically? Alice Ascher in Andover, Betty Barnard in Bexhill and Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. The killer writes to Poirot, giving him the date and location of each murder. He signs himself ABC and leaves a copy of the ABC railway guide next to each of the victims. Churston is not far from Agatha Christie’s holiday home, Greenway. Sir Carmichael is actually found in Elberry Cove, one of Agatha’s favourite bathing spots. Also mentioned in the novel is Princess Gardens in Torquay. The picture above is of Agatha Christie’s bust a short distance away from Princess Gardens.
4. The Man in the Brown Suit – Anne Beddingfield, a young woman, witnesses a man’s death in a London tube station. Anne is not satisfied with Scotland Yard’s verdict of accidental death. Who exactly was the man in the brown suit who examined the body? This novel takes in many locations and Hampsley Cavern is based on the real life Kents Cavern – a location, which had close links to Agatha’s own father.
5. Sleeping Murder – The Imperial Hotel in Torquay is mentioned a few times in Agatha Christie novels, but only once by its real life name. In Peril at End House (Poirot) and The Body in the Library (Miss Marple) the hotel is referred to as The Majestic Hotel. In Sleeping Murder, where Miss Marple solves a ‘perfect’ crime committed years previously, the Imperial Hotel appears with its real name. The Imperial Hotel marks the beginning (or end) of the Agatha Christie Mile with The Grand Hotel at the other end.
Want more? Contact the English Riviera for more details about the Agatha Christie Literary Trail in South Devon.
Have you ever visited a real life location that you’ve read about in a fictional book?