Agatha Christie Country.

The Agatha Christie Mile

The Agatha Christie Mile was established in 1990, her centenary year, and marks 11 specific locations along a one mile route around Torquay seafront, each marked by a centenary plaque.

The Grand Hotel

It was here at the Grand Hotel in Torquay that Agatha and Archie Miller spent their honeymoon night after their wedding in Bristol on Christmas Eve 1914.Two days later Agatha travelled up to London with her new husband and waved him goodbye as he set off for war in France.

It was to be 6 months before they would see each other again and nearly four years before their married life could really begin. The Grand Hotel now has an Agatha Christie Suite. The hotel's popular restaurant and bar have fine sea views and are well worth a stop on your tour of the Agatha Christie Mile.

Princess Pier

The Agatha Christie Exhibition at Torquay Museum includes a delightful image of Agatha as a young lady in her fine, feathered hat enjoying roller-skating along the pier with her friends. Skating on the pier cost tuppence and was a noisy and bumpy affair but incredibly popular!

Princess Gardens

Opened in 1894, the Princess Gardens in Torquay were built to a classic Victorian design with an ornate fountain, rich flower beds and of course the famous Torbay Palms imported from New Zealand. Agatha was doubtless a frequent visitor to the gardens and they featured in the ABC murders.

The Pavilion

This elegant building was opened in 1912 as a grand concert hall. Agatha had a great love of music and attended many concerts here. In early 1913 she enjoyed a Wagnerian concert with Archie Christie, who she later married.

The Strand

Always at the heart of Torquay this busy thoroughfare was a popular meeting place in Agatha's day. Young Agatha would have shopped here with her mother at the exclusive department store William and Cox, now Hoopers.

Agatha Christie Bust

This bust was crafted and erected in Agatha Christie's centenary year and is the only one anywhere in the world. It was unveiled by her daughter, Mrs Rosalind Hicks and is the work of Dutch sculptor Carol Van Den Boom-Cairns. The bust is situated in Torquay sea front.

Agatha Christie Shop

The Agatha Christie shop is immediately adjacent to the bust and stocks a wide range of Agatha Christie books and DVDs are available.

Torquay Museum

Agatha's father was a Fellow of the prestigious Torquay Natural History Society, which managed the original collections of the museum, many excavated from Kents Cavern. In 1990 the museum established the Agatha Christie Exhibition with the help of the Christie Family.

It contains many previously unseen images of the Queen of Crime and provides a fascinating insight into her life and her works.

Royal Torbay Yacht Club

Torbay boasts some of the finest sailing waters around the UK and includes in its rich maritime history the first modern day tall ships race and the 1947 Olympic watersports. In her autobiography Agatha talks fondly of the club, of which her father Frederick was a prominent member.

He would visit the yacht club daily to play cards, read the newspapers and chat with friends; a routine that would change in the summer months when he would devote his time to his role as President of the Torquay Cricket Club.

Beacon Cove

At the turn of the century, Beacon Cove was known as the Ladies' Bathing Cove although the men of the Royal Torbay Yacht Club were regularly seen at the club window, hoping for a glimpse of the female bathers!

As a teenager Agatha got in to difficulty whilst swimming out from the cove and was spotted by a boatman who helped her from the water and returned her to the cove. The Cove is accessed by a footpath behind Living Coasts and is now a quiet and peaceful place from where to watch the sea birds preening on nearby rocks.

Imperial Hotel

In the opening chapter of Peril at End House the Imperial Hotel (renamed the Majestic), is described by Hastings as...."In its own grounds on the headland overlooking the sea. The gardens of the hotel lay below us freely interspersed with palm trees. The sea was of a deep and lovely blue."

The terrace of the hotel is also the setting for the final chapter of 'Sleeping Murder', Miss Marple's final mystery. Agatha attended many social occasions here and the hotel still reflects the elegance and grandeur of that period. Experience the ambience and elegance with a delicious afternoon tea served in the Palm Lounge and enjoy panoramic views over the Bay.