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1856: Frederick Goodall bought 170 acres of the land on which Grim’s Dyke now stands

1870: Building work began, overseen by the famous architect Norman Shaw

1872: Grim’s Dyke was completed and the Goodall family took up residence.

1880: The Goodalls sold Grim’s Dyke to Robert Heriot of Hambros Bank who lived here for 10 years

1890: Grim’s Dyke was bought by Sir William and Lady Gilbert

1899: Work began on Gilbert’s boating lake, a 1.5 acre stretch of water where he used to bathe every day

1905 – The lake was extended to form a large rectangle roughly 170 yards long by 50 yards wide

1906: Gilbert helped found Grimsdyke Golf Club where he was President

1911: Gilbert died on May 29th trying to rescue a local girl, Ruby Preece, who had got into difficulties swimming

1929: On one of her rare public appearances, Lady Gilbert attends the re-opening of the Savoy Theatre

1936: Lady Gilbert died, having spent her final years doing local charity work

1937: A public auction of the house realised £4600

1937: Grim’s Dyke became a rehabilitation centre for women suffering from tuberculosis

1939-1945: Officially, whatever role Grim’s Dyke played in the war is classified and not due for release until the 2040s

1945: Re-opened as a rehabilitation centre for men suffering from tuberculosis

1963: The rehabilitation centre was closed down and Grim’s Dyke entered a period of decline, during which time it was used as a film and television set

1967: The Champions was filmed here, as were several episodes of Dr Who during his battles with the Daleks

1968: Boris Karloff starred in his last film, The Curse of the Crimson Altar

1969: Vincent Price made his 100th film, The Cry of the Banshee. Ronnie Barker also used the house and grounds to shoot one of his comedies, Futtocks End

1998: Grim’s Dyke was formally re-opened by the Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke, Chancellor of the Exchequer

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