DROP DEAD GORGEOUS

Fans of bestselling crime author Agatha Christie, above, have had plenty to celebrate following the release of Kenneth Branagh’s new version of Murder on the Orient Express this year.

It’s based on the 1934 novel of the same name by the author, who wrote 66 detective novels under her real name, and a further six romance novels under the nom de plume Mary Westmacott.

Christie used settings in her books that she was familiar with and, for example, Murder on the Orient Express features her experiences of travelling with her second husband to archeological digs in the Middle East using the train.

Another setting she used was Swan Court, the Art Deco mansion block where the couple owned an apartment for many years. The block is the setting for one of her Poirot detective novels published in 1966, Third Girl, in which the heroine Norma shares a flat in Swan Court. Poirot pays a visit to the apartment during the story to interview Norma, and finds out that a woman has died after falling from a window within the building.

Swan Court is one of Battersea’s most renowned properties and, as well as Agatha Christie, has also housed Margaret Thatcher. A 589 sq ft property is now for sale within Swan Court for £850,000. It’s a smart one-bedroom, recently-refurbished apartment on the ground floor, all a stone’s throw from the fashionable King’s Road. Swan Court residents also have access to a porter. More information from www.pastor-realestate.com