The edition of the Poirot series shown on
ITV at the end of last month was a special one in that the location used for
the filming was the real-life holiday home of Agatha Christie, whose work the
series is based on. Greenway House
provided the inspiration for the original story Dead Man's Folly as well as a
perfect setting for the filming. The
episode was also a sad one for David Suchet, the actor who has played Poirot
for the last 24 years, as it involved him being filmed as Poirot for the last
time, although two more episodes would be shown following this one. The makers of the series decided that it
would be appropriate for Suchet's final piece of filming as Poirot to take
place in the Christie home, hence the timing.
In a recent interview, Suchet revealed that he was looking for a way to
imitate the mincing gait of Poirot as described by Agatha Christie, and he
ended up nicking a tried and tested technique of Laurence Olivier's: walking
with a coin clenched between his buttocks.
In Dead Man's Folly, Greenway House plays
the part of Nasse House, recently taken over by a wealthy couple. A fete is being held at the house, and as
part of the festivities a murder hunt is being organised by famous author
Ariadne Oliver (Zoe Wannamaker).
However, Oliver has her suspicions about some of the people attending
the event, and begins to fear that a real-life murder might take place, so she
invites Poirot to the house just in case.
Needless to say a murder does take place...but I'll leave it there in
case anyone reading this has not watched the episode yet.
Greenway House, built on a site originally
occupied by a Tudor mansion, lies in an elevated position in an idyllic spot
overlooking the east bank of the River Dart in South Devon.
The house itself is ravishing, with its elegant, classic exteriors in a
tasteful shade of cream, beautifully set off by the green of the equally
exquisite grounds. Agatha Christie and
her husband Max Mallowan bought the house in 1938, and they used it as a
holiday home until their respective deaths, which occurred within the space of
two years in the 1970s. During World War
II the house was requisitioned by the US military for the D-Day
preparations. The house is filled with
reminders of the couple's time there, including the Steinway piano Agatha used
to play and artefacts brought back from the Middle East
by her husband, who was into archaeology.
The gardens slope towards the banks of the river and are filled with
plants such as camellias and rhododendrons.
The property is now owned and operated by the National Trust. The nicest way to arrive at the house is by taking the Greenway Ferry from Dartmouth, Totnes, Brixham or Torquay.
Map of the area.
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| Front of Greenway House |
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