On several occasions I have heard Miss Marple exclaim “Somerset House, of course.” in a voice of sudden inspiration.

In former times, England and Wales’ records of marriages, births, and deaths were archived in an actual building – Somerset House. Copies of these records could be obtained and in this manner Jane Marple actually gathered information that led her to solve murders.

Somerset House is featured in four Miss Marple mysteries.

• Body in the Library
• 4:50 from Paddington
• They Do It with Mirrors
• Greeshaw’s Folly

Somerset House is located in London, England on the river Thames. It was closed as a government office in 1970 and is now an art museum.