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A group of members and friends took the perilous journey out of Norfolk, down the M11, towards the ‘big city’ to visit the former home of W.S. Gilbert.
Grim’s Dyke, now a hotel, is situated on the Harrow Weald in Middlesex - just behind the panoramic view above - offering packages that include tours and performances by the Grim’s Dyke Opera Company.
The less hardy, and more travel sick, eschewed the minibus (and enjoyed their picnic lunch at the above beauty spot - rather than the looking at the back of the mini bus driver’s head, which is not currently designated as a beauty spot) before meeting the rest of the group at Gilbert’s grave - which is not far from away at St. John the Evangelist Church, Great Stanmore.
Gilbert’s grave is quite an impressive monument - not difficult to find - and having paid their respects and posed for a photo the group moved on to the house itself.
The afternoon included a guided tour, cream tea and performance by the opera company.
 The house and grounds are an impressive sight (right - Ian and Simon exploring the gardens).
Our wandering around the lovely gardens was interrupted by the tour.
A somewhat elderly gentleman took us to three spots within the grounds and a couple of places in the house (the hall and one bedroom - which had apparently been Gilbert’s but contained no original features) - and he talked a lot, even when he couldn’t remember what he wanted to tell us.
Our guide seemed to have little enthusiasm for Gilbert and Sullivan and seemed to be most interested in telling us Gilbert was a ‘dirty old man’ - based on his enjoyment of the company of ladies, it seems, and little else - blaming this particular characteristic for his death swimming in the lake with said younger ladies.
With little to support this rather jaded view - a view at odds with other accounts of his death - the group felt that generally more was known about Gilbert by many of our members than by our ‘guide’.
Whilst it seems Gilbert undoubtedly did enjoy the company of younger ladies swimming in the lake (he was 74 years old at the time) there is no particular evidence for impropriety as suggested by ‘dirty old man’.
A guidebook and a chance to wander around the grounds would have been much more enjoyable.
 The tour barely left us any time before an adequate tea in the Music Room - quite an impressive venue for the performance which was to follow. The room includes an incredible and ornate marble fireplace and a minstrel’s gallery.
The Opera Company performed songs from a number of operas, including a significant part of HMS Pinafore, and we enjoyed some excellent voices and strong performances. The fun and humour the singers showed in the songs would, I am sure, encourage many non G&S aficionados to explore the music.
For a relatively small group, such as our own Society, they gave an excellent example of what can be achieved in performance without a full cast and costume.
Whilst there was a feeling that maybe the day did not represent ‘value for money’ in many ways, we did all enjoy ourselves, and experienced an excellent performance. The group were also extremely grateful to Kevin Jeckells for driving the minibus - even if the back of his head is not a designated beauty spot.
(The group are pictured outside the entrance to Grim’s Dyke.)
Note: For G&S enthusiasts the Hotel offers other interesting packages, including dinner and performances - and room rates seem reasonable. It is a beautiful building in a beautiful setting. Members who have stayed there had reported lovely time. The hotel has a web site where you can find more information.
Views expressed are those of the author and not the Society.
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