Torquay travel guide: 'I followed in the footsteps of Agatha Christie to discover what influenced her novels'

One hundred years ago, on a chilly December day, one of the most famous women in England arrived at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate and checked in under a false name.

Dressed in a disguise worthy of one of her novels, the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, gave the name “Teresa Neele” and stayed incognito for the next 11 days.

She had left her Berkshire home after an argument with her husband Colonel Archibald Christie, who had recently asked for a divorce after his affair with one Nancy Neele.

Christie, who had just become a household name with her latest book The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, had driven off and abandoned her car near Guildford, in Surrey.

Given her fame, the disappearance caused national hysteria, sparking a 15,000-volunteer search, which saw Colonel Christie arrested.

However, a fellow guest at the Old Swan spotted Christie, ending the ruse. This was something she blamed on amnesia, and never referenced the event in her autobiography.

There are three theories about the disappearance, tour guide Graham Kerr, of English Riviera Walking Tours, explains on a walk around Christie’s hometown of Torquay.

The first is that she actually did have amnesia, the second is that she had a nervous breakdown, while the third, and the one Graham indicates he believes, is that she wanted to punish her husband for his affair.

The two-and-a-half hour walking tour around the English Riviera is perfect for fans of the Queen of Crime like myself, as Graham explains exactly how Torquay inspired Christie’s novels and murders.

Following the Napoleonic wars, the English upper class could no longer holiday in France and so turned to the South West.