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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
Film & TV
As well as being one of North West London’s premier country house hotels the Grim’s Dyke also has a 40-year history as a much sought after location for film and TV production companies.
The Gothic influenced Victorian architecture of the hotel and the quintessentially English country house interior have made it a popular choice with location managers over the years. Below is a list of films that include scenes shot on location at the hotel.
Dr Who
The Evil Of The Daleks is regarded by many Dr Who fans as the best ever episodes in the iconic BBC television series. Scenes were shot on the main stairway, in the minstrels gallery and in the grounds and Daleks can be seen gliding around outside the Music Room!
The Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)
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This was the last film to star horror legend Boris Karloff who appears alongside Christopher Lee, Mark Eden and Rupert Davies. The storyline revolves around a man who disappears at a remote country house … which is the Grim’s Dyke. Much of the film was shot there..
The Saint (1960)
The house is featured in two episodes of the legendary 1960’s TV series that starred Roger Moor as Simon Templar and was based on the best-selling Leslie Charteris books. In one of the episodes, ‘The Russian Prisoner’, the Grim’s Dyle is a Swiss mansion house.
The Champions (1969)
A popular Seventies TV series in which the three main characters are given magical powers by an advanced civilisation living in the mountains after their plane crashes in Tibet. One of the episodes, ‘The Mission’ was partly filmed at the house.
Endless Night (1967)
Based on an Agatha Christie novel which was rumoured to be one of her favourites, she was delighted when it was made into a film starring Britt Ekland, Hayley Mills and Hywell Bennett. There is a lengthy scene with Hywell Bennett in the sunken rose garden.
Futtocks End (1970)
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A classic British comedy starring Ronnie Barker and made almost entirely at the Grim’s Dyke. The film had no dialogue, just a music score and sound effects. When shown on TV it was watched by 12 million viewers, a record for a comedy film.
The Avengers
One of ‘The Avengers’ episodes, ‘The Game’, was particularly significant for fans of the long running series because it was the first to feature Tara King without Emma Peel. The episode was partly filmed at the house.
EastEnders (2003)
Several times a year ‘EastEnders’ is filmed away from the programme’s usual setting of Albert Square which is located at the BBC’s Elstree studios. Known as off-set episodes, one of them was partly filmed at the house in 2003.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
The iconic 1969 movie is the story of a headstrong young schoolteacher who ignores the curriculum and influences her impressionable 12-year-old pupils with her over-romanticised views of the world. Some interior scenes were shot at the house.
Sliding Doors (1998)
A 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah film. The location sequences were mostly shot in central areas of London but the Grim’s Dyke features as a country hotel in Dorset in which Helen Quilley’s boyfriend meets his mistress.
Randall & Hopkirk (1970)
A 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah film. The location sequences were mostly shot in central areas of London but the Grim’s Dyke features as a country hotel in Dorset in which Helen Quilley’s boyfriend meets his mistress.
Little Britain
Based on a highly successful Radio 4 series and written and performed by Matt Lucas and David Walliams, ‘Little Britain’ was shot both on location and in front of a studio audience and included scenes at the house and in the grounds.
Hamish & Andy
Hamish and Andy are an Australian comedy duo who have hosted a string of hit radio and TV shows in Australia. Last year, the pair toured the UK in a motor caravan for a series of TV programmes, one of which was recorded last summer in the Music Room.
Department S (1969)
The episode filmed at the Grim’s Dyke is titled ‘The Bones of Byrom Blain’ and was one of the last five episodes to be screened. In the episode a chauffeur arrives at his destination and discovers his passenger has disappeared, leaving only his skeleton behind.
Cry of the Banshee (1970)
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‘Cry Of The Banshee’ stars Vincent Price as a wicked magistrate and witch hunter and is loosely based on an Edgar Allen Poe story. The magistrate tries to destroy a coven of witches and several location scenes were shot in the Grim’s Dyke grounds..
Spyders Web (1960)
ITV spy drama series Spyder’s Web tapped into the Cold War espionage genre which at the time was very in vogue and although it only ran for 13 episodes it attracted a loyal albeit niche audience. Interior and exterior scenes were filmed at the Grim’s Dyke.
