Did you know that Agatha Christie's birthday is on September 15th? I'll bet at least a few of you knew that. I, however, did not....until today....when we decided to visit Greenway, the house that she and her second husband purchased as a holiday home in 1938. There's a story behind that, but I'm going to leave you in suspense until later.
Today was quite the adventure! It began with a lovely breakfast at our B&B, the Brace of Pheasants before packing up to begin our westward journey towards Cornwall.
We no sooner made it to the main road when I spotted a large herd of Highland Cows relaxing in a field by the side of the road. How many times have we visited the Highlands of Scotland, hoping for a peek of one of the magnificent creatures, only to be sadly disappointed?
And here we were in Dorset, on what is nearly the opposite side of the island, and we spotted over a dozen hanging out in the fields. How lucky was that? Of course, Marty pulled over so that we could get some photos. And, they didn't even flinch!
From here we drove near the coast, admiring the beautiful rolling hills that were accented by the beautiful blue from the water. Our first stop was Cockington Village in Devon. It is actually part of the town of Torque, which sits on the eastern side of a peninsula on the southern part of England. Interestingly enough, this area is known as the English Riviera.
Getting there was a bit tricky, as our cell coverage was nearly nil, and we found ourselves subject to the closure of the main road that leads into the village. I was able to steer Marty in the right direction, but I'll admit that at one point, I had to convince him that he just needed to believe me and follow my directions.
I couldn't blame him for questioning my directions as we found ourselves driving down a steep, extremely narrow road, that was flanked on either side by embankments considerably higher than our car. But, once at the bottom we soon found ourselves just outside the village, and made our way to the parking lot.
Marty had been sure that the place would be empty due to the detour, but it appeared that a whole lot of people somehow figured out how to get there because the parking lot was pretty full, and the place was buzzing with walkers.
We both agreed that it was well worth the scary adventure once we arrived at this fairy tale-like village.
Don't you agree?
We walked through the park to check out the manor house as well as the stables behind the building. The area is now used to feature local artists and shops where they sell their trade specialties.
A lovely rose garden sits behind the house, and next to the stables.
and within easy walking distance stands an Anglo Saxon church that has stood here since the 13th century.
We headed back into the village to enjoy a Devon Cream Tea.
It was probably one of the best cream teas that we've enjoyed. The scones were perfect, and the Devon Cream was the REAL Deal! With home made raspberry jam atop, it was melt in my mouth deliciousness.
and what better than to be entertained by this delightful creature?
After our tea, we went back out on the road to head further south to Greenway. I had read that it was essential to reserve a parking place in the lot, and when I went to do so last evening, the only time slots left were for 3:00 PM. In retrospect, that should have been a clue regarding numbers visiting. But, what was I to know?
We arrived with just a minute to spare for our designated 3:00 parking slot, and headed down the long walk to the house. The place was buzzing with activity. We did manage to get a photo without any heads in the background, though.
We were really quite surprised by the amount of people visiting this house, well off the beaten track, on a Thursday afternoon in mid September. Upon speaking with a National Trust Guide, we then learned that this time of the year is always extremely busy for visitors to Greenway, as it appears that dye hard fans of the famous author flock here the week of her birthday, which is September 15.
It certainly seems that I'm always learning something new!
The house in itself is not all that large. There has been a structure on this site since Tudor Times, but it was completely remodeled during the Georgian Era, and renovated in year since.
Agatha Christie, who was born in nearby Torquay, purchased the house along with her second husband, to use as a vacation get away. The house is loaded to the brim with artifacts that Christie and her husband had collected over the years from their many travels. I'd liken it to a small museum with quite a number of artifacts that had been held precious by Agatha in years past. Here are just some unique items that captured my attention:
There were two St. Louis XVI tapestries hanging on opposite walls in a hall room. They were purchased as part of a collection.
The kitchen housed a beautiful blue stove, along with a rooster, as you can see, that captured Marty's attention.
And there were the servant's bells in the hallway, although it isn't clear whether they would have been used during Christie's time in the house.
Moving on, the dining room had some interesting items on display.
including a porcelain lobster plate. Apparently that particular seafood was one of Christie's favorite meals, and it was served at Greenway, in this dining room for her 80th birthday. I'm not sure if she was served it upon this platter.
During World War II, the United States Coast Guard requisitioned the house and they would use the boathouse area for D-Day practice drills. During the time he was stationed there, a lieutenant by the name of Marshall Lee, designed a mural that spreads across all four upper walls of the library room. It depicts the places he had traveled with the US Coast Guard in the 11 months prior to their stay here at Greenway. The detail is really quite remarkable.
Following the war, he offered to paint over the frieze, but Agatha Christie felt it was a tribute to the bravery of these young men and decided that it was worth keeping from a historic perspective.
This same room was filled with books and trinkets purchased over the years by the couple as gifts for each other. There were certainly some very unique items.
The house was gifted to the National Trust in 2005, and opened for public viewing in 2009.
In 2013, as a final tribute to Christie, the final episode of the Poirot Series, Dead Man's Folly, was filmed on location at Greenway. It certainly seemed a fitting place as the setting fit the descriptions in the book. And, it was this location where the title was written.
Among this tribute were several copies of Christie's Poirot novels. The house was certainly not lacking in multiple copies of her many books that she had written over the years. There seemed to be shelves in every room that contained her writing among their holdings.
The tour of the house took us less than an hour before we headed out to enjoy the rest of our time there on this glorious day.
We spent some time perusing the surrounding landscape.
There was a lovely fountain in the Fernery.
And brilliant flowers blooming in the fields surrounding the grass designated for Clock Golf.
There was even a tennis court hidden among the walled walkways.
The trip was certainly worth the experience, and Marty and I both left with a new found knowledge of this famous author.
We made our way to the car park, and before leaving the lot, Marty decided to "modify" the suggested route to our hotel. Within short time, he was regretting that decision, as we found ourselves on roads that were only as wide as the car, and lined with tall hedgerows along the edges. Would you believe that the posted speed is 60 MPH?
And, would you believe that some drivers actually take that speed limit seriously? Well, you can certainly take my word for that, as on more than one occasion, we found ourselves turning a bend, only to have a driver facing us at high speed. Luckily, it seems that everyone's brakes work well!
They would tuck into the side of the road at a lay by, or even back up, if necessary, so that the two cars could pass by within inches of each other. A bit stressful for the driver, and I was worried I'd eat a few hedgerows, but, luckily, Marty was able to maneuver quite admirably.
We finally arrived at our hotel, which is actually owned by a Benedictine Abbey. It stands on the grounds near the active church, although we can only see the top of the towers peeking through the trees.
There were a few minutes of panic when the receptionist realized that an earlier attendant had given away our room. But she was able to remedy the situation within short time.
And, since I had reserved dinner a few weeks ago, we were shown to this lovely table featuring the "comfy" chairs. How lucky was that?
And, tonight, I decided to splurge and order a scoop of Vanilla Clotted Cream ice cream,.
It was delectable!
Until tomorrow!
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