The last private owner of Abney Hall was the grandson of Sir James Watts (1804–1878).
He was also named James Watts, as was his father.
 Sir James's grandson was Agatha Christie's brother-in-law; James married Agatha's sister, Margaret (Madge) Frary Miller (1879–1950), in 1902.
Mrs. Christie often visited the Hall and wrote two stories from there: the novel After the Funeral and the short story "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding", which is part of a collection of short stories of the same name.
The Hall was also used as a basis for Chimneys, a country house and seat of the fictional Marquesses of Caterham, in The Secret of Chimneys and The Seven Dials Mystery.
Many references to various places around Cheadle can be found in her books.
Vanessa Wagstaff writes, "Abney became Agatha's greatest inspiration for country-house life, with all the servants and grandeur which have been woven into her plots.
The descriptions of the fictional Styles, Chimneys, Stoneygates and the other houses in her stories are mostly Abney in various forms."
The last private owner of Abney Hall was the grandson of Sir James Watts (1804–1878). He was also named James Watts, as was his father.  Sir James's grandson was Agatha Christie's brother-in-law; James married Agatha's sister, Margaret (Madge) Frary Miller (1879–1950), in 1902. Mrs. Christie often visited the Hall and wrote two stories from there: the novel After the Funeral and the short story "The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding", which is part of a collection of short stories of the same name. The Hall was also used as a basis for Chimneys, a country house and seat of the fictional Marquesses of Caterham, in The Secret of Chimneys and The Seven Dials Mystery. Many references to various places around Cheadle can be found in her books. Vanessa Wagstaff writes, "Abney became Agatha's greatest inspiration for country-house life, with all the servants and grandeur which have been woven into her plots. The descriptions of the fictional Styles, Chimneys, Stoneygates and the other houses in her stories are mostly Abney in various forms."
Abney Hall