Country houses for sale

A spectacular Oxfordshire house that was home to Agatha Christie

Once home to the Murder on the Orient Express author and her husband, Grade II-listed Winterbrook House is also appealing for its magnificent Thames-side setting.

Winterbrook House stands in an appealing setting on the banks of the Thames on the edge of this historic Wallingford, 12 miles from Henley-on-Thames and 15 miles from Oxford and a mile from Waitrose.

Winterbrook House

Dating from the 17th-century with Georgian rear additions, this Grade II-listed property comes to the market through Savills at a guide price of £2.75 million.

An English Heritage blue plaque on its Queen Anne façade announces that this charming five-bedroom house was the much-loved former home of Dame Agatha Christie and her globe-trotting husband, the archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan.

Winterbrook House

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Having met and married Mallowan in 1930, crime writer Christie — reputedly the bestselling author of all time — bought Winterbrook House as their main residence before buying, four years later, Greenway House in Devon as their summer retreat.

The couple lived at Winterbrook House until Christie’s death in 1976, although they travelled widely in connection with Sir Max’s work (fans of Hercule Poirot will recall every minute of Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express, the latter written in the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul).

Winterbrook House

For the past 20 years, Winterbrook has been the cherished family home of its international owners, who are now looking to downsize. The main house offers 4,190sq ft of immaculate living space on three floors, including a reception hall, three main reception rooms, a study, a kitchen/breakfast room, a principal bedroom suite and two further bedrooms on the first floor, plus two more bedrooms on the second floor.

It comes with an attached one-bedroom cottage and frontage to the Thames, with scope to instal a historic pontoon mooring, subject to the usual consents.

Winterbrook House

Winterbrook House is for sale at £2.75 million via Savills — see more pictures or enquire with the agent for further details.

Wallingford: What you need to know

  • Location: Wallingford is situated about half an hour’s drive from both Oxford and Henley-on-Thames
  • Atmosphere: A historic riverside town, Wallingford brims with antique shops, coffee shops, pubs and restaurants. It also has a theatre and cinema and a large Waitrose
  • Things to do: There’s plenty of choice, from walking and cycling on the Chilterns to boating and rowing on the Thames. Golf is at the Springs Hotel Golf Club and the Wallingford Sports Park is home to tennis, squash, rugby and hockey clubs.
  • Schools: Independent schools in the area include Moulsford Prep School, Cranford House, The Oratory Prep and Public School, Downe House, Radley College, Abingdon School and the European School in Abingdon, Pangbourne College and Bradfield College.
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