Overview

Agatha Christie's former holiday home is located in the heart of the Devon countryside with spectacular views of the Dart Estuary. The house had been set in the 1950s and there are lots of personal items which belonged to Agatha, Max Mallowan her second husband and their family, such as Agatha's doll Rosie. There are also scrapbooks made up with family photos and interviews with people who knew the family and this makes the house feel very personal. Going round the house is free flow rather than a guided tour. There are extensive gardens, café, shop and a short introductory film show in the stables.

Transport & Parking

There is a car park but it needs to be pre-booked. A buggy from the car park to the visitors' reception is available on request. There is no public transport to take you to Greenway. When I visited I planned to use the Steam Train from Paignton to Churston and then take a "disabled friendly" shuttle bus. However it was not operating on the day I visited. The train has a Greenway Halt stop but it involves a 30 minute, steep, woodland walk. From Dartmouth there is a ferry and from the quay there is a shuttle car service, but it was impractical for me to do that so I ended up getting a taxi to take and collect me from Greenway. The taxi from Paignton to Greenway return cost £26.

Access

From the visitors' centre where you buy your tickets towards the house there is some cobblestones, which were quite difficult to walk on. In the cobblestone area is the café, which is up a slight slope, which has a single handrail. The café is self service and there is a sign saying level access seating, which takes you to the to the second handbook shop next door, where there are movable tables and chairs. Also in the cobblestone area is the accessible toilet and gift shop. In the house there is step free entrance all to the ground floor rooms. However upstairs, Agatha's bedroom, the fax room, lavatory and sitting room are only accessible by a flight of stairs with a handrail on one side. In a couple of the rooms the room stewards play audio recordings of the family. Braille and large print guides are available. There is an Induction loop. The extensive garden leading down to the boat house, which features in "Dead Man’s Folly", are only partly accessible, as there are steep slopes. The website says that there is limited access for powered mobility vehicles and manual wheelchair can be loaned.

Toilets

There are accessible toilets by the visitors' centre and next to the shop. I used the one by the shop and it was spacious and clean. It had grab rails and an emergency alarm.

Staff

Staff were very friendly, welcoming and provided interesting information about the room they were stewarding. When I visited it was Agatha's birthday and everyone had dressed up. The guide in the drawing room was playing Agatha's piano. Staff in the restaurant were helpful.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Despite the difficulties to getting there I loved my visit. It's the 3rd time I've visited ad the 1st time since becoming disabled. Each time I visited I love it even more as something else has been added. Last time it was the addition of family scrapbooks in each room and this time Agatha's OBE medal was on display and a selection of her cook books. It was also the day of the 1950s fete with stalls, music, food and dog shows, it was a lot of fun. I hope to return many more times as I am a big Agatha Christie fan and Greenway is a very special place.

Photos