Cool Bookish Places

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

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Lucas Maxwell

Contributor

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.

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.

Greenway Estate
The house and surrounding area featured in several of Christie’s novels including The A.B.C. Murders, Five Little Pigs, Towards Zero and Dead Man’s Folly.

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.

Greenway Estate
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. 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.

Greenway Estate

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.