Agatha Christie's disappearance to Harrogate

On a dark night in December 1926, crime author Agatha Christie created her very own mystery when her car was found abandoned in Surrey with no sign of her. Was it foul play? What had happened to Agatha, and where had she gone?

This year marks the centenary of her disappearance. For 11 days, the world became gripped by the investigation with many people offering to help solve the mystery, including Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

After being reported missing on 3 December, she was eventually recognised as a guest of a grand hotel in the spa town of Harrogate. Agatha had checked into the Swan Hydropathic Hotel (now the Old Swan Hotel) under the surname of her husband's mistress. When she was finally discovered, the press descended on the town, desperate to capture a photo of the missing author.

Agatha never spoke publicly about the events of her disappearance or what happened during those 11 days, so we can only speculate on how she may have spent her time in Harrogate.

A stroll in the Valley Gardens

After taking her morning water, Agatha may have strolled through the beautiful Valley Gardens. Visitors in the early 20th century would promenade along the paths, with the tearoom, boating lake and bandstand proving very popular. Sitting for a while listening to a band play may well have lifted Agatha's spirits.

Harrogate's connection to the murder mystery genre continues today. Each July, the popular Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival brings readers and authors from around the world to Harrogate to hear their favourite writers in conversation, meet fellow enthusiasts and discover new titles just waiting to be read.

The festival is held in the Old Swan Hotel so these fans and authors may be following in the actual footsteps of one of the greatest crime writers of all time.