agatha christie and torquay

The Life and Times of Agatha Christie

agatha christie

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Barton Road, Torquay on the 15th of September 1890 and was christened in All Saints Church in Torre, just a five minute walk away from Villa Marina.

She grew up in the area and returned in her later years to enjoy her beloved Devon. Her father was Frederick Miller, a rich American with an income from his late grandfather's business in New York, and her mother, Clarissa (Clara) Bohemer, a British aristocrat.

It was Clara who first took the family to Torquay, having bought a delightful Victorian house, Ashfield, surrounded by a pretty wooded garden on the edges of town. Visitors to the house included the novelist, poet and dramatist Eden Phillpotts who remained a firm friend of Christie until his death in 1960.


Agatha's home life was idyllic, the youngest of three children enjoying the peaceful garden with her beloved dog, Toby. An incredibly shy child, her parents decided that she should be educated at home where she was encouraged to be imaginative and creative. At her mother's suggestion, she tried her hand at writing and her first published work, a poem about electric trams, was printed in a newspaper when she was just 11 years old.

Later in a BBC radio interview she explained "So by the time I was 16 or 17, I'd written quite a number of short stories and one long, dreary novel. By the time I was 21, I had finished the first book of mine ever to be published, the Mysterious Affair at Styles. I'd sent it to one or two publishers who didn't want it and eventually it went to John Lane. About a year later, I heard it had been accepted. Well, that's how it began."

As a young lady Agatha enjoyed roller-skating with friends on Princess Pier, listening to concerts in the Pavilion and bathing at the ladies' beach, Beacon Cove.


Her mother made certain that Agatha's education was not neglected and, in 1906, she was sent to Paris to attend a finishing school. While there, she earned a reputation as a gifted singer and showed a talent for music. There was, in fact, some discussion about the possibility of Agatha becoming a professional singer, but the notion passed as her tutor described her as far too nervous to endure public performance. However, her love of music and drama was to remain a strong influence throughout her life.