Vintage 1950s Agatha Christie Style! A visit to Greenway.

While on our hols in glorious Devon we visited 'Greenway', the summer holiday home of Agatha Christie and her family from 1930. The house was then given to the National Trust on the death of her daughter and was opened in 2009.

View from the gardens of the river Dart

The property is built on a steep hillside and the gardens have been tiered with amazing flora & fauna (I've always wanted to write that!!), including lots of varieties of Magnolia tree, Camellia, Rhododendron and even a few Eucalyptus. My 10 year old was our family photographer and did an amazing job of it!

NT Welcome sign!

The house itself was bought in the 30s by Agatha and her second husband Max Mallowan. The National Trust have set it up more or less as it would have been in the 1950s with lots of family photos, souvenirs from the couples many travels and family paraphernalia. Agatha's bedroom has an amazing chest of drawers originally from Damascus! (complete with woodworm apparently until it was removed after Agatha could hear scratchings coming from it at night!!)

Greenway House

We took a family picnic (although it does boast not one but 2 tea shops!), and enjoyed an unusually warm afternoon moseying around the grounds. I wore my Heyday 1940s swing trousers as they are so my go-to outfit for dodgy weather this Spring! (Think I need a suitably vintage alternative to the Ikea bag though?!)

Picnic time

The Girls!

As a family we do love the National Trust; how amazing to have so much of our history made available to us and future generations to enjoy; and how wonderful of these great houses original owners to bequeath their own heritage for the benefit of others- I can see so many principles of generational transfer in that; passing on ideals, standards and values to future generations and the recognition that however beautiful, amazing and enormous houses are, at the end of the day they're just 'stuff'! People should never be remembered for where they lived or even what they did, but rather who they were and what motivated them.

What would you be remembered for?!

Here's a few more photos......

The house from the upper terraces

Views across the river

And even a retro 1950s style Agatha Christie tour bus to take you from the nearby village!

If you get the chance to join the NT or visit one of their historic house, parks or gardens, just think again... what will you be remembered for?!

                       x

Sixty Years of the Mousetrap! Outfit Post and Review

Half term is just wonderful for mini-breaks and as we have a relly on the outskirts of London, what better than a trip 'up tahn' to see a very vintage play?!

Agatha Christie's the Mousetrap was written in the late 1940s and first performed as a play in 1952 and has been continuously performed ever since! As a belated 40th birthday pressie I went off to see it at St. Martin's Theatre in London's West End.

The Mousetrap current cast

I must confess, I didn't know much about it before seeing the play, apart from the fact it was by Christie and had been running for years. I hadn't appreciated it was set in 1952 and that we'd be treated to such great costumes from one of my favourite periods of fashion history!

I wore my new fav dress, it's called Aimee and is from Heartbreaker Fashion (although I found it at a very reasonable price at Cherry Retro!) What do you think?

Aimee Dress by Heartbreaker from Cherry Retro

The play is part murder mystery and part farce really- it's a very clever tale of suspicion, intrigue and great timing! I was mildly distracted however by the gorgeous New Look style dress Georgina Sutcliffe wears in her part of Mollie Halston. It's an amazing blue full skirted dress with nipped in waist and shawl collar and cuffs in a contrasting blue and white polka dot. Unfortunately we didn't buy a programme so I have no idea who the costume designer is, but boy would I love to get my hands on that dress!

Stunning 'New Look' inspired dress worn by Georgina Sutcliffe

The theatre is absolutely gorgeous, it's a grade 2 listed building, a twin to The Ambassadors theatre and built in 1916. It was the perfect surroundings to watch a 1950s scene unfolding from a 1940s script.

The Mousetrap in its 60th year

The cute (but rather small!) bar upstairs in St Martins Theatre

All in all, it was a fantastic day out. being situated so close to Trafalgar square I just had to snap the Mall, the National Gallery and of course, Nelson's Column. Well, who wouldn't? And my 1950s inspired Aimee dress was right at home!

View to the Mall

National  Gallery

Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square

 Being sworn to the Mousetrap secrecy code I couldn't possibly tell you Whodunit, but if you'd like to find out for yourself, the 60th anniversary tour begins towards the end of this year with an all star cast (apparently!) and should be fab!

What have you guys been up to over half term?
                            x