No mystery over these thrilling homes

AS THE NEW Partners In Crime television series featuring Agatha Christie’s sleuths Tommy And Tuppence confirms, we cannot get enough of the world’s most successful crime novelist.

This year is the 125th anniversary of her birth, with an International Agatha Christie Festival planned at Torre Abbey in Devon, from September 11 to 19.

Agatha Christie was born in Torquay, on the English Riviera in Devon where many of her novels are set.

Her family also had a holiday home in Devon; Greenway, a large country house and estate near Dartmouth, that now belongs to the National Trust and which Agatha Christie described as “the loveliest place in the world”.

It was in this area of green fields, woodland and rolling countryside that she set three of her novels: Five Little Pigs, Dead Man’s Folly and Ordeal By Innocence.

Only a short walk away is Greenway Barton, a detached house close to the River Dart estuary, for sale at £750,000 with Strutt & Parker (01392 215631/struttandparker.com).

The five-bedroom, four-bathroom house in Maypool has been the holiday home of Anne Buckley and her late husband Fred since they converted it from a barn in 1998.

“We intended to move into the house but we had a business in Lancashire and never got round to it,” says Anne, who adds: “Fred died nine years ago and it just isn’t the same. It’s getting a bit much for me to travel all that way now but it is a beautiful place and there are some lovely walks.

"The public footpath to Dartmouth is at the back of our house.”

Tom Shuttleworth, of Strutt & Parker’s Exeter office, says: “This side of the River Dart is an excellent investment due to a new road being built and significant infrastructure improvements in the area.

"The new South Devon link, due to be completed in December, will cut journey times significantly and open up that area to buyers who might have previously discounted it due to traffic and distance.”

The English Riviera, once out of fashion, is increasingly being revitalised: “Torquay has lots of smart restaurants opening and developments over the beach,” says Tom Shuttleworth.

“It currently offers value for money compared to lots of other South Devon locations.

"Over the next few years I expect lots of people will cotton on and prices will naturally start to climb, especially for homes with a great sea view.”

These new developments include award-winning Abbey Sands (01803 296500/abbeysands. co.uk), 27 luxury apartments with uninterrupted views of Tor Bay, built by Balfour Beatty in partnership with development company Havard Estates and architects Kay Elliott.

The mixed-use development, built in the Art Deco style synonymous with Agatha Christie, has four restaurants on the ground floor with apartments over four floors above.

Their curving balconies give the building the look of an ocean liner from a bygone era.

Phase one of the apartments is available from £425,000 and the mayor of Torbay, Gordon Oliver,says: “The Abbey Sands development has breathed new life into the seafront area.

"It provides the town with much-needed high-quality residential accommodation and an enhanced fine dining experience.”

Bloor Homes (01793 835600/bloorhomes.com) also has a new development at nearby Brixham.

Berry Head Park will have two, three and four-bedroom homes available and you can register for details on the website.

In later life Agatha Christie lived at Scotswood, a house in Devenish Avenue on the Sunningdale estate in Surrey.

Although that house was developed into luxury apartments, homes on the estate near the prestigious golf course occasionally become available, such as Roundbarrow House.

The extensively modernised detached house with outdoor pool is on the market for £3,950,000 with Barton Wyatt (01344 843000/bartonwyatt.co.uk), although at that price you might have to write a series of best-selling whodunnit novels yourself to afford to buy it.

? Wickes has withdrawn its instructions for DIY pizza ovens, mentioned in last week’s property section, because of safety issues.