Grim's Dyke (sometimes called Graeme's Dyke until late 1891)How, Harry

''

The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

'', Vol. 2, October 1891, pp. 330–41, reprinted at ''The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive'', 20 November 2011 is a house and estate in

Harrow Weald Harrow Weald is a suburban district in Greater London, England. Located about north of Harrow, Harrow Weald is formed from a leafy 1930s suburban development along with ancient woodland of Harrow Weald Common. It forms part of the London Bor ...

, in northwest London, England. The house was built from 1870 to 1872 by

Richard Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the ...

for painter Frederick Goodall and named after the nearby prehistoric earthwork known as

Grim's Ditch Grim's Ditch, Grim's Dyke (also Grimsdyke or Grimes Dike in derivative names) or Grim's Bank is a name shared by a number of prehistoric bank and ditch linear earthworks across England. They are of different dates and may have had different funct ...

. It was converted into a hotel, Grim's Dyke Hotel, in 1970. The house is best known as the home of the dramatist

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...

, of the opera partnership

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

, who lived and farmed there for the last two decades of his life. He died while attempting to save a girl from drowning in his lake. Lady Gilbert and the Gilberts' ward, Nancy McIntosh, lived there until her death in 1936. The statue of Charles II now found in

Soho Square Soho Square is a garden square in Soho, London, hosting since 1954 a ''de facto'' public park let by the Soho Square Garden Committee to Westminster City Council. It was originally called King Square after Charles II, and a much weathered ...

stood on the property from about 1880 to 1938. The house was then used as a rehabilitation centre until 1963. From 1963, the house was used mainly as a location for films and television, including ''

Futtocks End ''Futtocks End'' is a British comedy film released in 1970, directed by Bob Kellett and written by Ronnie Barker. Almost entirely without dialogue, the film includes a musical score, sound effects and incoherent mutterings. The story revolves ar ...

'' and '' The Avengers''. Since its conversion into a hotel, the house continues to be used as a film location. The hotel leases 30 of the original 110 acres of land that Gilbert purchased with the house.

History

The house was designed in 1870 by

for the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

painter Frederick Goodall, who had purchased of land at

in 1856, but he did not begin to build until a lease on the property expired. Shaw's design for the house included aspects of

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

ism, added to a late-Elizabethan style, which included high red-tiled gables, tall clustered chimneys and leaded lights. To the north of the house, Shaw built a small lodge, a walled garden and various outhouses and a stable block, later converted into garages by

for his collection of motorcars. Over the dyke (now a duck pond) Shaw built two stone bridges, which incorporated

flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start ...

from the ruined church at

Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, at high. The district, whi ...

. Construction on the house was completed in 1872. Goodall's ground-floor studio was built on a north–south axis in order to catch the light. Goodall sold the property in 1880 to Robert Heriot of Hambros Bank, who added a billiard room in 1883.Goodman (''Grim's Dyke''), p. 7

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

is visible from the house. gilbert-library-1891

W. S. Gilbert purchased the property in August 1890 for £4,000. He made various additions and alterations to the property, including an elaborate fireplace of Cornish

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that include ...

in Goodall's studio, which became Gilbert's drawing/music room. At the house, Gilbert wrote his last ten works from an armchair in his library overlooking the croquet lawn. Gilbert also had an observatory for stargazing.

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

visited Grim's Dyke with his nephew, Herbert, on 27 May 1893. They stayed at the house for three days while Sullivan worked with Gilbert to finalise ''

Utopia, Limited ''Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress'', is a Savoy opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's fourteen collaborations, premiering on 7 October 1893 for a ...

''.Goodman (''Grim's Dyke''), p. 17 At the house, Gilbert had a vinery,

apiary An apiary (also known as a bee yard) is a location where beehives of honey bees are kept. Apiaries come in many sizes and can be rural or urban depending on the honey production operation. Furthermore, an apiary may refer to a hobbyist's hives ...

, orchards and a farm, with

Jersey cattle The Jersey is a British list of cattle breeds, breed of small dairy cattle from Jersey, in the British Channel Islands. It is one of three Channel Island cattle breeds, the others being the Alderney (cattle), Alderney – now extinct – and th ...

, horses, pigs and fowl. He also kept a variety of exotic animals including monkeys, lemurs, a lynx and many others.McIntosh, Nancy. "The Late Sir W. S. Gilbert's Pets", ''Country Life'', 3 June 1911, reprinted in ''W. S. Gilbert Society Journal'', Brian Jones (ed.), Vol. 2, No. 18: Winter 2005, pp. 548–56; and McIntosh, Nancy. "Sir William Gilbert's Lemurs", ''The Strand Magazine'', November 1909, vol. 38, pp. 604–09 Lady Gilbert designed the 30 acres of ornamental gardens at the house, including the rose garden and orchard, which remain on the hotel grounds.Glenn, Jill
"Lady Gilbert's Gardens"
''Optima Magazine'', 10 June 2011, accessed January 25, 2012 After Gilbert's death in 1911, Lady Gilbert and the Gilberts' companion, Nancy McIntosh, continued to live there until Lady Gilbert's own death in 1936. Gilbert-library

After Lady Gilbert's death, the contents of the house, apart from a few items kept by Nancy McIntosh, were sold at public auction on 17 and 18 March 1937, realising £4,600. The house was acquired jointly by the

Middlesex County Council Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965. The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the c ...

and the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

, who leased it to the North West Regional Hospital Board from 1937 to 1962, at first as a rehabilitation centre for women suffering from tuberculosis (the house was used by the services during World War II).Goodman, Andrew
History
Grimsdyke.com, accessed 26 March 2014 Following the war, both sexes were admitted, and from 1948 only male patients were admitted. From 1963, the house was used primarily as a location for films and television, including ''

Futtock's End ''Futtocks End'' is a British comedy film released in 1970, directed by Bob Kellett and written by Ronnie Barker. Almost entirely without dialogue, the film includes a musical score, sound effects and incoherent mutterings. The story revolves ar ...

'' with

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', and '' Open All Hours''. ...

. It was converted into a hotel in 1970. It was featured in John Betjeman's acclaimed television documentary ''

Metro-Land Metro-land (or Metroland) is a name given to the suburban areas that were built to the north-west of London in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the early part of the 20th century that were served by the Metropol ...

'' (1973). The hotel was seen in an off set episode of ''EastEnders'' in 2003. The house and its gatehouse are both

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

s. Harrow Council owns the building and the remaining 30 acres of the estate and has leased them to the hotel since 1970. The hotel and estate were refurbished in 1996 at a cost of £3 million. Presentations of

operas and other entertainments are regularly held. The remainder of the lands have been separated from the hotel and were sold by Harrow Council as "Grimsdyke Farm". The name Grim's Dyke is sometimes used to refer to a nearby earthwork known as

which runs from Pinner Hill to

Bentley Priory Bentley Priory is an eighteenth to nineteenth century stately home and deer park in Stanmore on the northern edge of the Greater London area in the London Borough of Harrow. It was originally a medieval priory or cell of Augustinian Canons in ...

Statue of Charles II

A statue of Charles II was carved by Danish sculptor Caius Gabriel Cibber in 1681 and placed at the centre of

in London. By the early 19th century, the statue was described as being 'in a most wretched mutilated state; and the inscriptions on the base of the pedestal quite illegible'."Soho Square Area: Portland Estate: Soho Square Garden"
in ''Survey of London'' volumes 33 and 34 (1966) St Anne Soho, pp. 51–53. Date accessed: 12 January 2008. In 1875, the statue was removed during alterations in the square by T. Blackwell, of

Crosse and Blackwell Crosse & Blackwell is a British food brand. The original company was established in London in 1706, then was acquired by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell in 1830. It became independent until it was acquired by Swiss conglomerate Nestlé in 1960. ...

, the venerable canned and bottled foodstuffs firm, who gave it for safekeeping to his friend, Goodall, with the intention that it might be restored. Goodall placed the statue on an island in his lake at Grim's Dyke, where it remained while Gilbert owned the property. In her will, Lady Gilbert directed that the statue be returned, and it was restored to Soho Square in 1938.

Gilbert's lake and death

The lake, which is some way from the house, beyond the ornamental gardens, was considerably extended by Gilbert during his time at Grim's Dyke. Work on digging out the lake began in 1899, with Gilbert himself assisting in the task. Eventually it covered about one and a half

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

s, with an island in the middle, a punt house and changing hut, and an artificial waterfall that was ceremonially turned on in December 1899. The lake was drained and refilled each year, to keep the water clear, and was stocked with

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

. In 1905 the lake was extended again to a roughly rectangular shape, measuring 170

yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly ...

s by 50 yards. When Gilbert lived at Grim's Dyke he swam in the lake every day from March to September. gilberts-lake-1899

On 29 May 1911 Gilbert had arranged to give a swimming lesson in the lake to two local girls, Winifred Isabel Emery (1890–1972), a teacher and niece of the actors

Cyril Maude Cyril Francis Maude (24 April 1862 — 20 February 1951) was an English actor-manager. Biography Maude was born in London and educated at Wixenford and Charterhouse School. In 1881, he was sent to Adelaide, South Australia, on the clipper ship ...

and

Winifred Emery Winifred Emery (1 August 1861 – 15 July 1924), born Maud Isabel Emery, was an English actress and actor-manager of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was the wife of the actor Cyril Maude. Born into a family of actors, Emery began ...

,Dark and Grey, pp. 222–223 and her 17-year-old pupil Ruby Vivian Preece. The three arrived at the lake at about 4 pm that day. In 1923, Winifred Isabel Emery related to Gilbert's biographers her recollection of what happened on that day:

Sir William Gilbert was teaching me to swim, and he invited me and a pupil of mine uby Preeceto Grim's Dyke on May 29th. We met him at Harrow Station and motored to Grim's Dyke and went straight to the bathing pool. My pupil and I were in the water before Sir William had made an appearance. It was a very hot day, but the water struck very cold. My pupil was a much better swimmer than I, and soon outdistanced me. We were both unaware that the lake was very deep further out, and presently she shrieked out "Oh, Miss Emery, I am drowning!" I called Sir William, who was on the steps, and he called out to her not to be frightened, and that he was coming. He swam out to her very quickly, and I heard him say: "Put your hands on my shoulder and don't struggle." This she did, but almost immediately she called out that he had sunk under her and had not come up. We both called to him, but got no answer. I tried to reach them, but got out of my depth and could do nothing but call for help. My pupil managed to struggle to the bank, and presently the gardener came and got out a boat, but it seemed a long time before they recovered the body.

At the

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jur ...

's inquest, Preece stated, "I found that I could not stand and called out and Sir William swam to me. I put my hand on his shoulder and I felt him suddenly sink. I thought he would come up again. My feet were on the mud then. Miss Emery called for help and the gardeners came with the boat." Gilbert had "died instantly of the heart attack". Once his body was recovered, it was laid out in the billiard room (now the hotel's restaurant) at Grim's Dyke. The family doctor, W.W. Shackleton, and Daniel Wilson of Bushey Heath Cottage Hospital, later certified that Gilbert had died at about 4.20 pm that afternoon of syncope (heart failure) brought on by excessive exertion. The coroner's jury, also meeting in the billiard room at Grim's Dyke two days later, on 31 May 1911, recorded a verdict of accidental death. Shortly thereafter, Lady Gilbert had the lake closed off and largely drained.Goodman (''Grim's Dyke''), pp. 17–18 The incident is described in the documentary ''

''. Over the century since then, silt has built up in the mostly drained lake and trees and other vegetation have grown, dividing the lake into smaller ponds. In 2011, the rare

Great Crested Newt The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to ...

was found living near these ponds.

Film location

The dramatic architecture of this Victorian country house, and its typically English interior, have made it attractive as a film and television location. The following television shows and films, among others, used Grim's Dyke as a location: *'' The Avengers'' (1961) TV series; episodes include "Game"Smith, David K
"Episode 141: Tara King Era, 'Game'"
Theavengerstv.com, 17 June 2006, accessed 6 August 2016 *'' The Saint'' (1962) TV series; two episodes *''

It Happened Here ''It Happened Here'' (also known as ''It Happened Here: The Story of Hitler's England'') is a 1964 British black-and-white film written, produced and directed by Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo, who began work on the film as teenagers. The film ...

'' (1966) *''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'': '' The Evil of the Daleks'' (1967) TV series; episodes 3 and 4 *''

The Blood Beast Terror ''The Blood Beast Terror'' is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng and Wanda Ventham, released by Tigon in February 1968.John Hamilton, ''Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Care ...

'' (1968) *''

Curse of the Crimson Altar ''Curse of the Crimson Altar'' is a 1968 British horror film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff, Barbara Steele and Mark Eden. The film was produced by Louis M. Heyward for Tigon British Film Productions. The ...

'' (1968) *''

The Champions ''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on IT ...

'' (1968) TV series *'' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' (1969) *'' Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' (1969) TV series; episode "

You Can Always Find a Fall Guy "You Can Always Find a Fall Guy" is the twenty-fifth episode of the 1969 ITC British television series ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre. The episode was first broadcast on 6 March 1970 on the ...

" *'' Zeta One'' (1969) *'' Department S'' (1969) TV series; episodes include "Handicap Dead" (1969) and "The Bones of Byrom Blain" (1970) *''

'' (1970) *''

Cry of the Banshee ''Cry of the Banshee'' is a 1970 British horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Vincent Price as an evil witchhunter. The film was released by American International Pictures. The film costars Elisabeth Bergner, Hilary Dwyer, and H ...

'' (1970) *'' The Adventurer'' (1972–73) TV series *'' Spyder's Web'' (1972) TV series *'' Endless Night'' (1972) *''

'' (1973 documentary by

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture ...

) *'' Sliding Doors'' (1998) *''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' (2003) TV series *''

Little Britain Little Britain may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little Britain'' (sketch show), a British radio and then TV show ** ''Little Britain USA'', an American spin-off * "Little Britain", a song by Dreadzone from the 1995 album ''Second Light'' * ...

'' (2004) TV series *''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' Casualty'', and ...

'' TV series *'' One Chance'' (2013)

Gallery

File:This house designed by NORMAN SHAW Architect for FREDERICK GOODALL Painter was later the home of W.S. GILBERT Writer and librettist.jpg,

Blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term ...

at Grim's Dyke File:Grims-dyke-front.jpg, Another view of the main entrance File:Grims-dyke-library-bar.jpg, The Library Bar, formerly Gilbert's library File:Grims-dyke-music-room.jpg, The Music Room File:Grims-dyke-view.jpg, Grim's Dyke from the garden File:Grims-dyke-gatehouse.jpg, The Gatehouse File:Grims-dyke-1891.jpg, Grim's Dyke viewed from the dyke in 1891 File:Grims-dyke-hall-1891.jpg, Gilbert's model of HMS ''Queen'' at Grim's Dyke File:Grims-dyke-porch-1891.jpg, Gilbert in the porch File:Gilbert-library-working-1891.jpg, Gilbert at work in the library File:Grims-dyke-dining-room-1891.jpg, The dining room in 1891 File:Grims-dyke-drawing-room-1891.jpg, The drawing room in 1891 File:Soho Square Charles II.JPG, Cibber's Charles II, now in London's

Notes

References

* *Dark, Sidney and Rowland Grey. ''W. S. Gilbert: His Life and Letters'', Methuen & Co Ltd, London (1923) *Goodman, Andrew (2009). ''Grim's Dyke: A Short History of the House and Its Owners'', Glittering Prizes *

External links

Listed building entries at

Images of England Images of England is an online photographic record of all the listed buildings in England at the date of February 2002. The archive gives access to over 323,000 colour images, each of which is matched with the item's listed designation architectur ...

for: * (Grade II*) * (Grade II) * (Grade II) of Charles II
Official websitePhotos of Grim's Dyke and gardens"Grim's Dyke"
in ''Architecture: A monthly magazine of architectural art'', pp. 355–68, vol. 2 (1897) Tolbot House
Podcast about Grim's Dyke
with interviewer Catherine Cartwright, by ''London Undone'' (2014) {{Gilbert and Sullivan Houses in the London Borough of Harrow Hotels in London Gilbert and Sullivan Grade II* listed houses in London Country houses in London Richard Norman Shaw buildings History of the London Borough of Harrow History of Middlesex Middlesex Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Harrow Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Harrow Country house hotels