Agatha Christie statue unveiled in her home town

The Agatha Christie statue sits on a bench in Torquay. The artwork shows the author in a blazer and tied up hair. A statue of her favourite dog, Peter, is sitting on the ground next to her heel. The author's grandson, Mathew Prichard, is sitting next to the statue and is resting one hand on it. Sculptor Elisabeth Hadley is sitting beside Mathew. Crowds are gathered in the background to watch the unveiling of the statue.

The statue is unveiled by Agatha Christie's grandson Mathew Prichard and sculptor Elisabeth Hadley

Chloe Parkman
BBC News, South West

A new statue of crime writer Agatha Christie has been unveiled in her home town of Torquay.

The statue, by local artist Elisabeth Hadley, will be the focal point of the Devon seaside town's new £4m harbourside plaza.

It depicts the author, who was born in Torquay in 1890, and her favourite dog, Peter.

The work was unveiled by her grandson, Mathew Prichard, who said: "Next year she would have been gone 50 years and the story goes on."

He added: "She had a huge band of fans and booksellers and publishers all of her life."

Christie died at the age of 85 in 1976 after writing 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections and more than 20 plays.

According to Agatha Christie Limited, which manages the literary and media rights to Agatha Christie's works, more than a billion of her books have been sold in the English language and a billion in translation.

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.

Related topics

More on this story