HOTELS Burgh Island Hotel - Mystery Events On A Tidal Island

Burgh Island Hotel - Mystery Events On A Tidal Island

Oct. 21, 2013

Location:

Burgh Island United Kingdom West Europe
BeachIslandNature

This hotel was a frequent haunt of famous author Agatha Christie who set her novel, And Then There Were None, on a fictionalized version of the archipelago.

The hotel was finished in 1929, and throughout the 1930s, it played host to glamorous guests.

In World War 2, it served as a rest and recovery center for RAF personnel until the top floors were severely damaged. Then it fell into disrepair until it was restored in 2006 to its full Art Deco glory.

Due to its famous association, the hotel hosts regular murder mystery events and the annual Agatha Christie Festival. The location is on a tidal island cut off from mainland England at high tide.

You can walk there on foot or, when the tide is in, you can go by sea tractor where passengers ride on a platform while the wheels turn underwater.

Choose from a number of unique rooms styled after famous guests from the past. For example, there is an authentic 1930s billiard room or the delightful Mermaid’s Pool.

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Burgh Island on sunny day

Photo by Peter Riou

Burgh Island Hotel

Photo by Jason Ballard

Entry gate

Photo by Matthew Hartley

Entrance

Photo by Stephen Chamberlain

The Agatha Christy Hotel

Burgh Island is famous for hosting celebrities throughout its history in one of the 25 rooms and suites. The Beach House that served as Agatha Christy's creative residence in the 1930s was named after her.

She spent her time staring at the pretty beach of Devon while brainstorming new mysterious murder plots.

Her time on Burgh Island was so fruitful that two of her novels, Evil Under the Sun and And Then There Were None, were written here.

The back of the Burgh Island Hotel

Photo by Thomas Guest

The Palm Court

Photo by Simon Greig

The Palm Court in Burgh Island Hotel

Photo by Simon Greig

Ballroom

Photo by Simon Greig

View on the sea

Photo by Simon Greig

Vintage radio

Photo by Simon Greig

View from the room

Photo by Simon Greig

Sea Tractor

Photo by Matthew Hartley

The Sea Tractor of the Burgh Island Hotel. During low tide, the hotel is easily accessible on foot. When the tide is high, the Sea Tractor comes to the rescue. One way ride costs £2.00.

The Sea Tractor in the water

Photo by Simon Greig

The original Sea Tractor was constructed in 1930 and the current, third-generation tractor dates from 1969, and it was designed by Robert Jackson.

Sea Tractor deep in the sea

Photo by Stephen and Therese Jennings

Sea Tractor in 1935

Sea Tractor in 1935, the original version.

Burgh Island panorama

Photo by Adam Burt

Bigbury-on-Sea

Photo by Devon by IanTurk

The cliffs of Burgh Island

Photo by Expectmohr


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Burgh Island, South Devon TQ7 4BG, United Kingdom


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