Ep 205 Harrow: Gilbert and Paul at Grim's Dyke

Alex takes us to the North London borough of Harrow. Eschewing the school and it's many celebrity alumni, we are retiring to the country instead. When Sir William Gilbert bought a house in Harrow, it came with a resident animal, who quickly became a family favourite. So much so, when he died, they acquired a new pair. What were they? There were also cats and dogs and donkeys. But it's Nancy's pet that provokes the most questions. We are talking of WS Gilbert, creator of plays and comic operas, with his long time collaborator Arthur Sullivan. Who retired to Grim's Dyke and along with his wife created marvellous gardens and a fateful lake. Indeed it's not a long episode this week, because of the lake, and the swimming lessons he was giving to the locals. It's now a hotel, so maybe there's an outing in the offing. There's definitely an outing in the offing, with more Crossness details this week. And lions and canals and bears, Oh my!* Who was Grim, and what was the dyke for? *There aren't any bears. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices