CAPTION: The blue plaque was unveiled outside the church after the service
Blue Plaque Celebrating Agatha Christie Unveiled at Her Childhood Church in Torquay
Agatha Christie is more usually associated with murder mystery ‘dispatches’ rather than ‘hatches’, but this weekend a blue plaque commemorating the life of the Queen of Crime will be unveiled at the church in Torquay where she was baptised.
The commemoration took place during this year’s Agatha Christie Festival, following the morning church service at All Saints in Torre on Sunday 14 September.
The Victorian church was designed by John Pearson and built with money from Agatha Christie’s family.
It still houses the marble font where Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was baptised on Thursday 20 November 1890.
The family pew is also still there, and All Saints church is remembered fondly in Christie’s autobiography.
Agatha Christie’s family donated money to help build the church in the 19th century
The Vicar, Fr. Peter March, said “It is as intriguing as one of Agatha’s own plot lines to think of her being baptised here and attending worship as a child and a young woman.
“To imagine how her early life experiences in Torquay formed her into the world-renowned writer that she has become. It’s a great privilege for the Church to have this link and to be able to share it with others.”
Agatha Christie’s novels feature a number of fictional members of clergy, including bishops, archdeacons, canons and at least one dean.
The real Dean of Exeter Cathedral, the Very Rev’d Jonathan Greener, preached at the service before the unveiling.
Matt Newbury, the Creative Director of the Agatha Christie festival, said: “We are so fortunate, when sharing the Agatha Christie story, to have venues with a real connection to her and her family, alongside her wonderful autobiography which vividly describes her Torbay upbringing.
“This is especially true of All Saints Church in Torre, where Agatha was baptised and lovingly recalls Sunday visits with her father, Frederick Miller.
“She paints a touching picture of him, and of the joy she found in worshipping at the church.
“With this in mind, it is a privilege to host Festival events at All Saints and I’m especially looking forward to unveiling the brand-new Blue Plaque.”
All Saints church, Torre, is open at various times throughout the week and people are warmly invited to visit it to experience for themselves the place where Agatha Christie worshipped as a child.
