There are few writers that Pam and I both enjoy in common, but one of them is Agatha Christie. Once I had read all of Conan Doyle’s works as a teenager, I scouted around for another writer of detective fiction and landed on Christie. I have read nearly all her works and Pam and I both thoroughly enjoyed ITV’s Hercule Poirot series with David Suchet.

As we had to drive back through Devon to get home, we thought we would stop by Christie’s summer home at Greenway. Virtually inaccessible by road, Christie and her husband, archeologist Max Mallowan – Christie had divorced her first husband but kept his name – would sail up the Dart River to reach Greenway. That boat dock is featured in one of Christie’s novels, Dead Man’s Folly.

The home, like many of the historic places in Britain, was well preserved with spacious grounds that led down to the river along winding floral pathways. The boat dock that served as a gateway into the grounds from the river and was equally well laid out.

The rooms of their Georgian home were strewn with Christie memorabilia and artifacts. Decorated in the heavy Victorian style of the period, the place had a restful and most literary air, with bookshelves and quiet places to read and reflect throughout the home.

I was surprised to learn that despite the inviting introspective atmosphere of the house, Christie wrote nothing while she was at Greenway, wisely using the time there to get away from the stress of her craft and her rising popularity. Her second marriage proved enduring, and she and Max remained married until her death in 1976.

September 2022