All Saints Church in Torre, Devon, this week held a special unveiling for a blue plaque in honour of the novelist Agatha Christie, who was baptised in the church and worshipped there as a child.
The unveiling took place following the morning service on Sunday 14 September and was part of this year’s Agatha Christie Festival.
The sermon preceding the unveiling was delivered by the Dean of Exeter, the Very Rev Jonathan Greener.
The unveiling was described by the church on Facebook as “a highlight for our families this morning”.
Fr Peter March, Vicar of All Saints, said ahead of the event, according to Torbay Weekly: “It is as intriguing as one of Agatha’s own plot lines to think of her being baptised here and attending worship as a child and a young woman.
"To imagine how her early life experiences in Torquay formed her into the world-renowned writer that she has become. It’s a great privilege for the Church to have this link and to be able to share it with others.”
All Saints Church was actually built with funds donated by the Christie family, which still has a family pew in the church. The church is also mentioned with fondness in Agatha Christie’s autobiography.
Matt Newbury, Creative Director of the Agatha Christie Festival, was quoted by the newspaper as saying, “We are so fortunate, when sharing the Agatha Christie story, to have venues with a real connection to her and her family, alongside her wonderful autobiography which vividly describes her Torbay upbringing.
“This is especially true of All Saints Church in Torre, where Agatha was baptised and lovingly recalls Sunday visits with her father, Frederick Miller.
"She paints a touching picture of him, and of the joy she found in worshipping at the church."
