An island hotel made famous by one of its regular guests, Agatha Christie, has had plans for a major renovation approved. Burgh Island sits just off England’s Devon coast with its art deco hotel standing proud at a location which guests can only reach by sea tractor when the tide is in.

The tidal island provided a working retreat for the queen of crime, who regularly stayed at a beach house which she used for inspiration, famously penning both Evil Under the Sun and And Then There Were None while resident.

The island can be reached on foot when the tide is out, with the hotel remaining pretty much as it was when built in 1929. The development work will take place over ten years with owner Giles Fuchs insisting it will “ensure that Burgh Island Hotel’s reputation as one of the most glamorous and luxurious in the world is maintained”. It will include the construction of a new west wing with 12 en-suite bedrooms built over four floors and linked to the existing hotel.

As well as providing a writing base for Agatha Christie, it was used as a filming location for the TV adaptation of Evil Under The Sun, starring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot. The hotel also hosts regular murder mystery events (fictitious, of course) which are popular with visitors from across the world.