The first pictures of Wallingford’s Agatha Christie statue have been revealed ahead of its grand unveiling in September.

The design has been modelled in clay and will now undergo three months of bronze casting before it is unveiled at noon on Saturday, September 9.

It will kick off a weekend of murder-mystery themed events to celebrate the detective novel writer, who lived in the town for 42 years from 1934 to 1976.

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The project, which was commissioned by Wallingford Town Council and funded by an Arts Grant, has taken around three years to come together.

Councillor Steve Beatty,  who secured the funds, said: “I’m amazed. The project has turned out a thousand times bigger and better than I thought it would be.

“It was a massive part of our town’s life. It makes us a tourist attraction. It really puts us on the map. It is an economic opportunity for the town and obviously a cultural one.”

Once finished, the statue of Agatha Christie will sit on a bench positioned against the backdrop of Wallingford Museum overlooking the Kinecroft.

Professional sculptor Ben Twiston-Davies said the design matched the character of the writer, who is the best-selling fiction writer of all time.

He said: “It suits her because she was a very quiet reserved person. She was quiet and shy and lived in her imagination.

“She’s sitting quietly as if she’s reading a book and she looks up from the pages as if she’s noticed something across the path that maybe inspires an idea for a story.

“She was a watcher and a listener rather than a talker.

“It’s great for Wallingford to celebrate its connection with Agatha Christie. We should celebrate our authors in this country.”

The weekend of the events will include ‘Immersive Murder Mystery Experiences’ on the steam-powered Bunkline train service – which was used by the writer - organised by the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway.

The train will also be used for shuttle rides to visit her grave at St Mary’s Church, Cholsey.

There will be a themed talk by historian and author Lucy Worsley at the Corn Exchange Theatre – home of the Sinodun Players amateur dramatics society of which the writer was president.

A pop-up open-air cinema in Castle Gardens will screen a programme of free murder mystery films.

Guided walking tours, led by volunteers from Wallingford Museum, will re-trace the town’s links to Christie and include a glimpse outside her former home, Winterbrook House.

The museum will also hold an ‘At Home with Agatha Christie’ exhibition – which will detail her personal letters, work with archaeologist husband Max Mallowan, and their home life in Wallingford.

A murder mystery themed supper will be held at the Five Little Pigs restaurant, named after Christie’s Poirot novel, with a specially created ‘killer cocktail’.

The full schedule and booking information will be available online over the coming weeks.