Agatha Christie: the Wallingford connection

Queen of crime novelist, short story writer and playwright Agatha Christie lived in Wallingford for more than 40 years on the outskirts of the town and died in her Winterbrook House home in 1976.

She is buried in the Churchyard of St Mary’s Cholsey, where she had worshipped.

Wallingford Museum in the High Street has a permanent Agatha Christie exhibition At Home with the Queen of Crime, which details her life with archaeologist husband Max Mallowan and extra rarely seen photos, memories and letters of the world famous author of her home life in Winterbook – they reveal her love of the town’s Sinodun Players’ pantomimes and her frustration at her declining health in later years.

Many stories have been gathered from Wallingford and Cholsey people who knew ‘Mrs Mallowan’ – who visited her, served her in shops, worked for her at Winterbrook House and even interviewed her.

Now there’s a new book by local authors Judy Dewey and Tony Rayner.

At Home with Agatha Christie: the Wallingford and Cholsey connection tells a fascinating story which gives a glimpse of her home at Winterbrook House, gathered from memories of people who knew her.

The book is available, priced £8.50 from the museum www.wallingfordmuseum.org.uk and local bookshops.