Seller of luxury Chelsea flat once owned by Agatha Christie will make a killing when someone snaps it up for nearly £2million

Updated: 08:52 EDT, 28 October 2026 A luxury flat in Chelsea once owned by Britain's most famous murder mystery writer has gone on sale for nearly £2million. The renovated two-bedroom apartment in Swan Court was Agatha Christie's home from 1948 until her death in 1976, and is believed to have inspired the backdrop to a Hercule Poirot novel. The Queen of Crime bought the apartment in Chelsea, West London, with her second husband, archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan, after WWII ended in 1948. The happily married couple used it as their London pied-à-terre for almost three decades until the author's death. During that time, Christie is believed to have worked there on some of her best-selling classics, including the novels Crooked House, Witness for the Prosecution, and The Mousetrap. The latter became the world's longest-running play and passed 30,000 performances in London's West End in March 2025. Agatha Christie (pictured in December 1926) moved into Swan Court with her second husband, Sir Mark Mallowan, shortly after WWII in 1948 The luxury property has been renovated since the murder mystery author lived there, but still nods to the building's 1930s character Swan Court in Chelsea was completed in 1931 and became home to several prominent figures from Britain's creative and political spheres, including future prime minister Margaret ThatcherThe art deco building is also thought to have inspired Borodene Mansions, the fictional block of flats featured in Christie's 1966 Hercule Poirot novel Third Girl. Her former home now forms part of a refurbished two-bedroom apartment, created by the current seller combining two previously separate flats. Christie's former home was last put on the market in 2016 with a guide price of £950,000 as a one-bedroom, one-bathroom flat, before being knocked through and enlarged. The seller is now set to make a killing on the leasehold property, situated in an exclusive Chelsea address and being marketed by Sandfords estate agents. The luxury home extends across 1,170 sq ft on the second floor of the apartment block, boasting two bathrooms and one vast reception room. A barrel-vaulted entrance hall features panelled walls, herringbone oak flooring and discreet flute-fronted storage. The property's reception room is divided into sitting and dining areas, and features a contrasting blue feature wall The light reception room stretches approximately 32.5ft in length, making it one of the largest in the buildingThe bespoke kitchen has sage-green cabinets, oak base units and pale marble worktops, while a double bedroom opposite overlooks Flood Street. At the far end of the hallway is the principal bedroom, complete with extensive fitted wardrobes and a concealed ensuite bathroom. The centrepiece is a light-filled reception room stretching approximately 32.5ft in length, making it one of the largest in the building. The room has been divided into sitting and dining areas, with timber panelling, display shelving, neutral furnishings and a contrasting blue feature wall. Although Christie's original interiors are long gone, the modern refurbishment retains a nod to the building's 1930s character. Swan Court was completed in 1931 and became home to several prominent figures from Britain's creative and political spheres. Its former residents included actress Dame Sybil Thorndike, graphic artist Edward McKnight Kauffer, textile designer Marion Dorn and future prime minister Margaret Thatcher.