There are benefits to self-isolating during the C-19 crisis, one of which is I’m finally getting through the pile of things in my tray, some of which have been there for nearly five years! One such project was producing a handy leaflet for our guests on Agatha Christie.
Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. Her novels have sold roughly 2 billion copies, and her estate claims that her works come third in the rankings of the world's most widely published books, behind only Shakespeare's works and the Bible. She remains the most-translated individual author, having been translated into at least 103 languages.
And Then There Were None is Christie's best-selling novel, with 100 million sales to date, making it the world's best-selling mystery ever and one of the best-selling books of all time. Christie's stage play The Mousetrap holds the world record for longest initial run. It opened at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End on 25 November 1952, and is still running after more than 27,000 performances. (apart from the current slight blip during the Coronavirus!)
She was born in Torquay and spent much of her later life at Greenway just outside Torquay which is now run by the National Trust. My leaflet therefore details various notable places she visited or which have a connection to her. It also includes the “Agatha Christie Mile” which is a walk from one end of the Torquay seafront to the other, again pointing out interesting facts and connections with Christie.
There’s no better place to watch one of her famous plays than on the English Riviera where it was penned. We have the Princess Theatre where national touring companies often put on her plays. The Little Theatre, also in Torquay and the Palace Theatre in Paignton both put on regular amateur productions of her plays too.
The International Agatha Christie Festival takes place each year during September in Torquay. 2015 was a particularly special celebration as it marked the 125th anniversary of the prolific writer's birth.
The festival is jam packed with over 100 local events celebrating the life, literature and legacy of Agatha Christie - the "Queen of Crime". The hub of the festival is only a few hundred yards from us at Torre Abbey - an interesting place to visit at any time of the year. It also houses a potent plant garden in her honour.
Kents Cavern are the caves which inspired her interest in archaeology and on which she based one of her plays. Her second husband, Sir Max Mallowan, was a distinguished archaeologist and she travelled with him to various archaeological digs around the world.
Torquay Museum is an interesting 175 year old museum which houses a permanent Agatha Christie display along with lots of other fascinating displays.
Be sure to pick up a leaflet when you next stay with us and find out more about the fascinating author and her books. In the meantime, there’s an official website for further information: www.agathachristie.com
To book The 25 Boutique B&B or just find out more, visit www.the25.uk
