Agatha Christie
1890-1976
The newly restored gravestone of Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie became Lady Mallowan in 1968 when her archaeologist husband Max was knighted, and was then made a DBE in her own right 3 years later. The best-selling novelist of all time, Agatha penned 85 books: novels, plays and collections of short stories.
Her character Hercule Poirot first appeared on screen in ‘Alibi’, a 1931 Twickenham Film Studios' adaptation of ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’. The Belgian detective was portrayed by Trevor Austin. Miss Marple first appeared on American TV in 1956 played by Gracie Fields and during the early 1960s in 4 MGM films with Margaret Rutherford taking on the role.
From 1934 Agatha Christie lived at Winterbrook House near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, where she wrote most of her novels and in which she died aged 85.
Dame Agatha Christie is buried in the churchyard of the church she regularly attended: The Parish Church of St. Mary, Cholsey, Oxfordshire.
To learn more about the real-life mystery of Agatha’s 11 missing days go to:
Note the entwined A & M at the head of the stone
Close up of Agatha's inscription
Close up of husband Max Mallowan’s inscription –with an unorthodox spelling of ‘archaeologist’.
The plaque at the foot of the grave. A M C M stands for Agatha Mary Clarissa Mallowan and M E L M are the initials of Max Edgar Lucien Mallowan.
