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Agatha Christie's Greenway (Devon, England) - The House

I can think of two places that we visited where I enjoyed the house more than the gardens. The first was Greenway, not for the house itself, which was surprisingly small and cramped, but for the history behind it and the fascinating mementos on display. Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan were enthusiastic collectors. You can see their collections on display throughout the house - European and Oriental ceramics, pottery, African tribal masks, Egyptian artifacts, Tunbridge ware, china, trinkets, and books. The Morning Room has a portrait of Agatha Christie as a child and her doll Rosie, sitting in a chair - The Drawing Room was where the family would gather in the evenings. Christie would entertain guests by reading chapters from manuscripts of her latest books.  Agatha Christie's bedroom. Max always slept on a smaller portable traveling cot (you can see part of it in the foreground). It was his favorite bed and he carried it with him on all of his archaeological travels. N...
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Okochi Sanso Villa & Gardens



One of my favorite gardens on the tour was the Okochi Garden that was created by Japanese actor Denjiri Okochi. Located in the northwest hills above Kyoto, it was a picture of tranquility.

First, we walked through a Bamboo Forest to get there -


A pathway led from the forest path up the hill to a garden entrance -



The main house -


A menagerie of pathways encircle the house and winds around the perimeter of the house. 




At one spot, an open pavilion called the "Moonlight Pavillion" provides a fantastic view of the city of Kyoto.






The creator of this paradise, Denjiro Okochi (1898-1962) studied literature and dabbled in writing before he began an acting career in 1920's silent cinema. He specialized in period dramas and jidaigeki (samurai). One of his best-loved characters was Tange Sazen, a fictional swordsman with one arm, one leg and one eye. He played the role in numerous films.



He spent thirty years creating his garden and he died there of stomach cancer in 1962 at the age of 64.




Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Kris PetersonDecember 4, 2024 at 9:57 AM

    Beautiful and dramatic!

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  2. AnonymousDecember 4, 2024 at 4:24 PM

    What a breathtaking garden! Your photographs are stunning. Thank you for sharing this slice from your trip.

    ReplyDelete
  3. tz_gardenDecember 5, 2024 at 9:06 AM

    Such a peaceful place, and stunningly beautiful! It really looks like you lucked out on good weather for your trip.

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