Torbay Council has launched a consultation about what people would like to see in a restored Pavilion. The historic building was where a young Agatha Miller went on a date with Archie Christie, before he proposed to her.

With this remarkable and tangible connection, we have long been pushing for the building to become the official International Agatha Christie Centre.

Our vision is outlined below. We’d really appreciate it if you could take 15 minutes to complete the survey and reflect some of our ambitions—or share creative ideas of your own.

You don’t need to be local to take part, or even to have visited Torquay. If a centre of this kind would encourage you to visit in the future, your views are just as valuable.

Please share this widely and help us return this beautiful building to its former glory.

The consultation runs until midnight on Sunday 25 January. You can submit your feedback here

Our ideas for the Pavilion as the International Agatha Christie Centre

We have long advocated for the Pavilion to become an Agatha Christie–themed arts centre. The building has a direct and compelling connection to Christie’s life: it was here that she attended a Wagner concert with Archie Christie, shortly before his proposal. This tangible link makes the Pavilion an ideal anchor for both celebrating Christie’s legacy and securing a sustainable future for this important historic building.
Our proposal is to establish the Pavilion as a vibrant cultural destination centred on Agatha Christie’s life and work, with a particular focus on her Devon roots.

At its heart would be an exhibition space featuring a permanent interpretive display alongside rotating exhibitions developed in partnership with the Agatha Christie Archive and Torbay Museum. We would love this part to be open access, with no charge for entry.

The Christie theme would extend throughout the visitor experience. The food and beverage offer would include afternoon high teas—drawing inspiration from successful models such as the Pump Room in Bath, alongside themed daytime and evening dining. The atmosphere would evoke a Palm Court setting, referencing the Pavilion’s own historic use while offering an elegant and accessible hospitality experience.

The building would also accommodate a performance space for talks, readings, theatre, and live events, as well as curated retail spaces offering high-quality, thematically appropriate merchandise.

An education and learning programme would form a key strand of the offer, again supported by the Agatha Christie Archive. This could include opportunities for university-level research, as well as workshops and activities for local schools and colleges. Such an approach would complement the Agatha Christie Festival’s existing aims of engaging young people, improving literacy, and fostering a lifelong love of reading.

In addition, the Pavilion could house the town’s Visitor Information service, with the Agatha Christie story placed at the heart of the local tourism offer, positioning the town in a manner comparable to Shakespeare’s central role in Stratford-upon-Avon.

We believe that transforming the Pavilion into an inclusive, high-quality arts centre anchored in the Agatha Christie legacy would provide a fitting, viable, and sustainable future for this landmark building.

The consultation runs until midnight on Sunday 25 January. You can submit your feedback here