2015 Agatha Christie Festival: Day 6 - Greenway and The Hollow

Creme and Chatiments, Greenway

Day 6 (17/09/2015)

Today we headed back over to Greenway for a Creme et Chatiments Cooking demonstration (Cream and Punishment). Anne Martinetti hosted the event - she has published a recipe book with over 80 recipes based on the dishes mentioned in Agatha Christie's books - and today and we got to try a few.

We started off with some cucumber and horse radish sandwiches - which were very strong tasting - ideal for disguising the taste of poison! We also tried some plum cake and apple cake - finally ending with Delicious Death, the cake that was in Murder is Announced. It was very tasty, and was served with Devonshire Clotted Cream - one of Agatha Christie's favourite foods. Apparently, she used to drink pints of cream!!

The recipe book hasn't been translated into English - I had a quick flick through, and although I could read the ingredients, I couldn't understand the method! So, we'll have to give that one a miss.

The Boathouse

After the talk, we decided to go for a walk round Greenway gardens. What a beautiful place, I can see why Agatha Christie called it "the loveliest place in the world". The sun came out and it turned out to be a lovely warm day. We strolled down to the Boathouse - where Marlene Tucker was found murdered in Dead Man's Folly. We also found the sturdy table. This one had a lovely view of the River Dart.

There was lots of information there - including information about the filming of Dead Man's Folly with David Suchet. I thought it had mainly been filmed at Greenway, however, very little was filmed there. There were photos showing how the house changed from a two-storey to a three-story house, there was an extra garden on the back - and lots more!

Afterwards, we walked to the Battery and looked out over the River Dart - this is where Poirot and Ariadne Oliver met in Dead Man's Folly. What a peaceful place.

We then made our way back up through the gardens and bought a few things at the National Trust shop and headed back to Torquay.

Grand Hotel

We decided to go to the Grand Hotel, to have a cup of tea and find the sturdy table. The table was in the beautiful Art Deco Library. The hotel also did a number of Agatha Christie themed cocktails, unfortunately I was driving so didn't get chance to try one.

In the evening, we went to see The Hollow at the Palace Theatre in Paignton. The theatre version of the play does not include Hercule Poirot - Christie did not like to see her characters played out on the stage and wrote Hercule out of her plays. The production was good - a lot of the actors were the ones who were in The Unexpected Guest last year. The story was great, as you'd expect and there were only slight changes from the book - mainly the location of the action and murder. It was all based in the Angatell's drawing room.

All in all, another good day. Tomorrow we've not got as much planned - we're having a quieter day, but we are heading out to the Dark Night at the Abbey.

In the meantime, here are a few more photos from today...

The Boathouse

Greenway

Art Deco Library, The Grand Hotel

2015 Agatha Christie Festival: Day 5 - Talks, Tea and a Twilight Tour

Afternoon Tea, Imperial Hotel

Day 5 (16/09/2015)

We're well into the Agatha Christie Festival now and today has been a very busy day, with four events I wanted to attend (well there were more, but there's just not enough time in the day!!)

In the morning, I attended two excellent talks. The first was at Torquay Museum, and was hosted by John Curran, Julius Green, Ben Nealon and Deborah Grant. John Curran covered the various adaptations of And Then There Were None, in particular on the stage and on screen. Julius Green spoke about the play, and how it was adapted in the war to give a happier ending - using a different version of the poem. I have his book - Curtain Up, which talks about Agatha's life in the theatre. It was also interesting to hear from the actors who are currently starring in And Then There Were None - Ben Nealon and Deborah Grant - and to hear how they study the characters when they take on the role.

Next on the list was the The Golden Age of Murder talk by Martin Edwards, at Torre Abbey. Martin was quite an entertaining speaker, and didn't seem to have any notes with him. I'm impressed by anyone who can stand up and speak in front of so many people - but to do it without notes shows he really knows his stuff! I have his book and have started reading it, it's such an easy read and really interesting. So far, it's about the Detection Club and looks into the background to some of it's members, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and Anthony Berkeley Cox. A really good read so far, and I'm looking forward to getting home and the having the time to finish it!!

After the talks we headed over to the Imperial Hotel for Afternoon Tea on the Terrace - with Jazz music playing in the background. It was a lovely atmosphere, quite a few people were dressed up in 1920s-1940s outfits. The food was lovely - there were various sandwiches, scones (fruit and plain!) and cakes, all served with delicious tea!

Before leaving, I decided to search for the Sturdy Table, but couldn't find it anywhere - and it was pouring it down with rain. I later learned it had moved inside, so I might make another trip to the Imperial Hotel later in the week if I get time.

Signed first edition

We rounded off the day with a Twilight Tour of Greenway! It was a little eerie at first, we walked down the long winding driveway, and apart from us and another couple, there was no-one around. We decided to try the door to Greenway, and it was unlocked! So we went into the house - still no-one around. We quietly made our way to the inner hall where we found a group of people sat around the table reading - none of whom looked up when we walked in. It was very strange.

While we worked up the courage to speak to them, a National Trust volunteer came out from the kitchen area, and greeted us. We were then split into groups of about six, and taken on a tour of Greenway. We've been to Greenway on a couple of occasions, but this tour gave us more access to places we'd not been to before, and more personal information. It was amazing!

Also.....we got to see - and handle - some first edition Agatha Christie books!!! How exciting is that? I felt like I had to whisper when we were in the presence of them!! Before we could touch them we were shown how to handle and open them (not more than 90 degrees). There were even some signed books to Rosalind from Agatha. To think, she had held those very books - perhaps not with the attractive blue gloves on - but they were ones that had belonged to her at some point!!

The National Trust volunteers were fantastic, and very knowledgeable. After the tour, we went to the kitchen and had some wine and canapes, while we got to ask more questions and find out more about our favourite author. I think this has been one of my favourite events so far.

Here are a few more photos from Greenway...

Gardens, Greenway

Dining Room, Greenway

Library, Greenway

Agatha's Bedroom, Greenway

We've got another eventful day tomorrow - we're off to Greenway again for some tasty treats, all based on recipes from Agatha's books....! Hopefully without the poison added!! Bye for now...

Agatha Christie at...Greenway

Greenway

While in Devon, what Agatha Christie trail would be without a trip to Greenway? Agatha Christie called it "the loveliest place in the world". As always, the Queen of Crime was spot on. It's a beautiful Georgian building in stunning grounds, set back from the River Dart.

I remember the first time I caught a glimpse of Greenway, it was before it was open to the public. We took a boat trip along the River Dart and could see the imposing white Georgian house through the trees. It looked so far away, mysterious and secluded. A place I never thought we'd be able to visit.

However, the National Trust bought the house in about 2000 and set about restoring and renovating it - and what an amazing job they've done. It has been renovated in the style of the 1950s and contains a lot of the items and artifacts that Agatha and her second husband, Max, collected over their years together (I believe these were kindly donated by Agatha's grandson, Mathew Prichard).

You can tell Greenway was close to Agatha's heart as it features in quite a few of her novels.

***The following contains spoilers***

In Five Little Pigs, Greenway features as Alderbury - the house of Amyas Crale, and it is in the grounds of Alderbury that Amyas drinks his fatal glass of beer.

In Dead Man's Folly, Greenway appears as Nasse House. The grounds are the setting of a murder hunt, designed by Ariadne Oliver, the boat house is where Marlene Tucker is found strangled and Poirot navigates his way down the array of paths to the quay, where uses the bell to summon the ferry. The 2014 television adaptation of Dead Man's Folly was filmed here at Greenway, and sees David Suchet, as Poirot, wandering around the house and grounds.

Greenway also makes an appearance in Ordeal by Innocence, as Sunny Point House, and once again the bell on the quay is used to summon the ferry to Drymouth (Dartmouth).

Links to Greenway are not only limited to the house and gardens, but to the contents too. In the Hall there is a brass studded Baghdad chest that features in two of Christie's short stories The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest and The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.

As part of the Agatha Christie Festival, we'll be making a few visits to Greenway. Hopefully we won't find any dead bodies in the Baghdad Chest...

Agatha Christie in...Dartmouth

River Dart

Where to start on the Agatha Christie Trail...? Good question. I thought I'd start with Dartmouth - a place that Agatha Christie loved. She loved it so much she bought her holiday home, Greenway, just down the river. Greenway features in a few books but I'll leave those for another day...

I've found three Agatha Christie books that feature Dartmouth, so this is a definitely a place to visit on our literary trail!

Isaac Pointz gives Dartmouth his seal of approval in The Regatta Mystery and calls it a 'Pretty little place' (ch.1). After watching the yacht race Mr Pointz and his party of friends head to the Royal George hotel for lunch - said to be based on the Royal Castle Hotel. While they are dining, one of his guests, Eve Leathern, bets Pointz she can make his famous 'Morning Star' diamond disappear. Which she does. Parker Pyne is called in to solve the mystery. According to the Agatha Christie website, the original magazine story from 1936, featured Hercule Poirot, but was replaced by Parker Pyne when the story was published in a book.

Dartmouth also features in Ordeal by Innocence.  According to the Agatha Christie website this was one of Agatha's favourites. The main protagonist is a Dr Calgary, who solves the mystery. I don't want to spoil the plot, but in the course of the story he visits Dartmouth. The Royal Castle Hotel appears as the Royal George again. There have been a couple of adaptations of this book, the 1984 film was filmed in and around Dartmouth. Then televised in 2007 - however, it featured Miss Marple as the protagonist, even though she wasn't in the original novel.

Finally, Dartmouth features in Dead Man's Folly. Ariadne Oliver asks Poirot down to help her create a Murder hunt, however, it soon turns into a real murder hunt when Margot Tucker is found dead in the Boathouse! Etienne De Sousa moors his boat in Dartmouth harbour before heading up the river to see his cousin, Lady Stubbs.

So, Dartmouth has been visited by Parker Pyne, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple (although not in the original novel), and will be one of the places we'll be visiting in September.

We have already visited Dartmouth - back in 2007. We were staying in Paignton and we caught the Paignton to Kingswear train. We passed some stunning scenery - Goodrington Sands, Broadsands and the beautiful Devonshire countryside.

We then caught the passenger ferry to Dartmouth where we caught a boat and took a cruise down the River Dart. We saw the Greenway Boathouse and caught a glimpse of Greenway. At the time you couldn't go and visit (I think only the gardens were open). It was a gorgeous day. Here are a few photos...

Dartmouth

Greenway

Greenway Boathouse

Kingswear & Dartmouth

On the Agatha Christie Literary Trail....

Torquay

One thing I've always wanted to do, is to visit all the places in Devon that are mentioned in Agatha Christie's books or have featured in some way in Agatha Christie's life. Sometimes they are real locations, sometimes fictional locations based on real places. But it would be nice to see what inspired Agatha Christie - locations such as Torquay, Greenway, Burgh Island, Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Salcombe...etc. I also love exploring Devon, it's such a beautiful county!!

Luckily, I don't have to start from scratch as I already have a couple of booklets and leaflets with different trails in them. One of them I picked up in the 90's, on one of our holidays to Torquay. It's called 'Exploring Agatha Christie Country' by David Gerrard (published in 1996). It has a trail around Torquay, one around the Coast and Countryside, one by Train and Boat and one that covers further afield. A lot of the places mentioned in this booklet are places that were special to Agatha Christie, such as The Moorland Hotel where she finished writing her first novel - The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920).

I also have a leaflet that I picked up a few years ago called 'The Agatha Christie Literary Trail'. This will be a big help as it already has a map and list of locations and books (you can download a copy from the English Riviera website). Based on this I'm going to have a look through all my Agatha Christie books, read them again and try and find the references to these locations - then I'll have some context when we visit them!!

I've been thinking about what to include, if it's not too difficult I'm going to try and include the following...

• Places mentioned by name in the novels and short stories
• Fictional locations inspired by real places in the novels and short stories
• Places that were important to Agatha Christie
• Locations that were used for filming for film or tv adaptations

Seems like a big task but I've got a few months to do some research. I might even include a book review or two on here along the way...

So, armed with my booklet, leaflet, books and a map, I'm going to try and plot the best route to cover as many locations as possible...

Let the challenge commence...!

2015 Agatha Christie Festival - Programme has been released!

Agatha Christie

The Agatha Christie Festival programme has been released! Good timing too - I'd just finished reminiscing about last year.

There's so much more to do this year, and each day has a particular theme - which is a great idea. The events all centre around this theme. There's a Mystery Film event, Murder Mystery Dinner, Afternoon Tea, Tea Dance, Garden Party, talks, walks, exhibitions and much, much more!! Every night there's also the opportunity to meet up with Agatha Christie fans at the Grand Hotel.

Greenway

So much to do - so little time!

I've been through all the events and booked us tickets. I've also booked us onto some events that aren't organised through the Agatha Christie Festival but that are going on in and around Torquay - such as the Murder Mystery Dining Train. I found these on the English Riviera site, by searching for events during the festival week. It's quite a good site and has lots of information about Agatha Christie and the Agatha Christie Mile and Literary Trail.

I've created a spreadsheet again with all the events we've booked so I can plan our time most effectively (I love spreadsheets)!

I was so excited about booking our tickets that I tweeted about it - I don't often tweet - but it was favourited by the official Agatha Christie Festival! How exciting :). I might have to tweet more often.

All that's left to do now is to work out what we're going to wear. I've already bought a flapper-type dress and have some costume-pearls. I'm still not sure how to do my hair. I've been looking on Pinterest for ideas. Not long now!!

Three months to go (and counting). So excited!!!

2014 Agatha Christie Festival: Part 4 - Theatre & Film Outings

Torquay

I was browsing through the Agatha Christie website last night and noticed there's going to be a production of Witness for the Protection at Leeds Civic Hall - so I've booked some tickets! It's set in a court room and the audience also sit in the courtroom (jury box, press box etc), while the actors act out the play around you. Sounds amazing - I cannot wait!!!

Speaking of the theatre, there were a couple of Agatha Christie plays on during the Agatha Christie Festival last year. There were also a couple of film events too - of course we booked to see them all!

One of the plays was Black Coffee which was performed by The Agatha Christie Theatre Company. We've quite a few of their productions over the years and they're always really good.

Princess Theatre, Torquay

Black Coffee was performed at the Princess Theatre, in Torquay and is one of the few plays that features Hercule Poirot. Apparently, Christie didn't like the portrayal of Poirot on stage so she wrote him out of the other plays she adapted from her books. It's a shame she never got to see David Suchet as Poirot, as I think he was the best.

I quite enjoyed the play. It was set the library of Sir Claud Amory - Poirot is summoned to see him but when he and Hastings arrive Sir Claud is already dead! It's up to Poirot and Hastings to find out who-dunnit.





The other play we went to see was The Unexpected Guest, performed Bijou Theatre Productions. The play was shown at the Palace Theatre in Paignton, which isn't far from Torquay. I quite enjoyed this play too. I think the plot was better compared to Black Coffee, although I did have an inkling from the start about who the murderer was, and I turned out to be right!

Walled Garden, Greenway

The National Trust hosted a special evening film screening of Evil Under the Sun in the walled garden at Greenway. The setting was perfect for an outdoor evening event. We took our chairs, blankets, drinks and snacks, and as the sun set, we settled down to watch the film.

It was the version from 1982 with Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot. It's set on a island in the Adriatic Sea, rather than on Burgh Island, but the plot is pretty much the same. It was on television the other week so we watched it again, and it brought back some nice memories.

Another part of the Agatha Christie Festival was the Mystery Film Event, hosted by John Curran. This took place in the Spanish Barn again, at Torre Abbey. John Curran guaranteed 99% of Agatha Christie fans would not have seen this film before, as it had not been shown on television before. And he was right, we'd never seen this film before.

The film was Lord Edgware Dies from 1934, with Austin Trevor as Hercule Poirot and Richard Cooper as Captain Hastings. Austin Trevor did not make a good Poirot. He was tall, slim and spoke with a very odd French accent. It seemed a bit comical, but it was quite close to the story.

At this point in the week we had been up to quite a bit but there were still a few more things to come, including A Garden Party to Die for and a Murder Mystery Dinner....