Agatha Christie Gallery

Torquay Museum

The Museum first started to interpret the life of the world’s most famous crime writer, Agatha Christie, in 1990 through an exhibition to commemorate the centenary of her birth. Agatha’s family had a long association with the Museum with her father being a member of the Museum Society in 1894. Since 1990 the Museum has had a number of exhibitions both temporary and permanent about her life and works.

Torquay Museum

Our current gallery is the only permanent exhibition about Agatha in the UK, it tells her story through amazing images from the family archive and a growing collection of over 700 items of books, memorabilia and props owned by the Museum. Highlights include original manuscript items on loan from the Agatha Christie Archive, costumes worn by David Suchet as Poirot and Joan Hickson as Marple, the set of Poirot’s Office from ITV series and Poirot’s swan cane on loan from David Suchet. The Museum is also home to regular Agatha Christie events, film showings and talks as part of the yearly festival.

Challenge yourself with the Agatha Christie Quiz (download it below) - answers can be found in the Museum's Christie Gallery.

Torquay Museum

This silver swan walking stick with a shaft of black hardwood was used by David Suchet for over 20 years in his portrayal of Poirot in the ITV adaptations of the Belgian sleuth, the first episode being broadcasted in 1989. It was kindly loaned to the Museum by David Suchet in July 2013 and is now on display in the gallery.

To raise much-needed funds for the Museum, different objects from the Agatha Christie Gallery including this walking stick can be adopted for a year. If you would like to support the Museum or are looking for an unusual present for a Christie enthusiast, please contact the Museum ([email protected]) for more information.

To support the Museum and keep the Agatha Christie gallery open to the public you can also donate through our Just Giving page below. All donations are much appreciated.

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