Fans plan £2.75m fundraiser to purchase Agatha Christie’s former home
Video report by ITV News Meridian's Charlotte Briere-Edney
From Poirot to Miss Marple, Agatha Christie created some of the most loved and well known mystery dramas of all time.
Now her Grade II listed former home in Oxfordshire is up for sale.
Winterbrook House, on the banks of the River Thames in Wallingford was the author’s home for more than 40 years until her death in 1976.
The house itself is described as 'elegant five-bedroom home', but it is the history associated with the property that will be its biggest appeal.
A blue plaque by the front door proudly displays the home’s previous owner, and whoever buys it will be taking on a slice of British history.
It is for that reason that fans of the writer are now launching a campaign to raise the £2.75m needed to buy it.
They think it has international appeal and want to open it as a lasting tribute to one of the most famous authors of all time.
A new group called the ‘Save Agatha's Home’ group has now been set up with a crowdfunding campaign hoping to raise the multi-million pound asking price.
If they are successful, they plan to restore key areas of the house to what it would have been like in Agatha Christie's time.
The Mayor of Wallingford wants to preserve the house for future generations
Tony Rayner has taken hundreds of Agatha Christie enthusiasts on tours locally.
Tony says the visitors come from ‘absolutely everywhere’ and are already coming in their droves.
He thinks if the house was bought and turned into a museum and cultural venue it would have wide appeal.
But for their plan to succeed, it will come at a price. Winterbrook House is currently on the market for £2,750,000.
The group say they only have a few weeks to raise the funds, as the house is for sale on the open market. It means they will be competing with private bidders.