Grim's Dyke — the lake where Gilbert drowned

London · United Kingdom · Manor

W.S. Gilbert died in his own lake diving in to save a girl. The water was drained afterwards — but he is said to walk here still.

The great brick house at Harrow Weald was built in 1872 and later became the home of the dramatist W.S. Gilbert, one half of Gilbert and Sullivan. He had the garden lake dug in 1900 and supervised the work himself. On 29 May 1911 two young women were swimming there when one got into difficulty in the deep water. Gilbert threw himself in after her, suffered a heart attack and sank. The girl survived. Lady Gilbert had the lake closed off and drained, and the crater has since silted into a scatter of small ponds at the wood's edge. The house is a hotel today, and guests and staff report an Edwardian gentleman on the staircase and footsteps in the corridors after closing. Nobody needs to ask who they think it is.

FAQ

Where is Grim's Dyke — the lake where Gilbert drowned located?

Grim's Dyke — the lake where Gilbert drowned is in London, United Kingdom.

More haunted places in London

• Eltham Palace London · Palace
• Shooter's Hill London · Road
• Cross Bones Graveyard London · Cemetery
• White Webbs, Enfield Chase — the Gunpowder Plot's hiding place London · Forest
• 284 Green Street — the Enfield Poltergeist London · House
• Ratcliffe Highway — the Crossroads Grave London · Road
• Heathrow — the Man with the Briefcase London · Haunted site
• Hangman's Hill, High Beach London · Road

Image: Der totale Absturz / CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons