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Event Date 29-09-2023 7:00 pm
Event End Date 01-10-2023 10:30 am
Capacity 12
Registered 10
Available places 2
Individual Price £205.00

Our night at The Grimsdyke will start with a meal  in the hotel, enjoying either a Main or two small plates from our select menu(sent upon booking).

After your meal, it’s time for our guided tour around the building & Grounds, including the lake where Sir Gilbert lost his life drowning, saving a young girl who was struggling to swim in the lake.

Our investigation for the night will then begin. You will be put in to small groups & take part in seances/vigils in the grounds/surrounding woodland & inside the main house, The Gilbert Suite, using different methods & pieces of paranormal equipment. 

We have had some extraordinary moments here over the past 15 years of investigating the land & buildings- we are really looking forward to this special summer evening at this Hauntingly beautiful Hotel.

Some History……

The hotel takes its name from an ancient defensive earthwork which runs for three miles from Pinner Hill to Bentley Priory and which dates back to Roman times. The land on which the hotel stands is carved out of the estate of the ancient Augustinian Priory of St Gregory, The original Priory building is thought to have stood in nearby Clamp Hill and in 1248 it was renamed the Priory Bentley in memory of a monk who had been accidentally killed there.

 As a private house prior to becoming a hotel the Grim’s Dyke’s 140-year history was very much tied up with the fortunes of four famous Victorians – an artist, an architect, a banker and the greatest comic dramatist of the age- its final owners Sir William and Lady Gilbert who were to become the house’s last and arguably most illustrious owners. They viewed the property while touring in the neighbourhood and then set about organising the purchase for £4000 in August 1890.

Gilbert had an international reputation as one of the foremost English dramatists and his collaboration with Sir Arthur Sullivan resulted in one of opera’s most enduring and successful partnerships. His plays, both comedies and drama, had been a popular feature of London theatrical life since 1867. At one point he had five shows running simultaneously at different London theatres and in addition, touring companies were taking his work to the suburbs of the metropolis and to the provinces. . During their 21 years at Grim’s Dyke Sir William and Lady Gilbert made many changes to the 40 acres of grounds surrounding the house. Sir William created a home farm which gave him plenty of scope to indulge his great fondness for animals. He grazed a small herd of thoroughbred Jerseys and also kept pigs and poultry. . The construction of the lake which had a surface area of around 1.5 acres was probably the biggest gardens and grounds project undertaken by Sir William and his wife but it was also the place where Sir William met his untimely death on May 29 1911. He used to bathe there in the summer and one day gave two local girls permission to swim with him. However one of the girls got into difficulties and Sir William tragically drowned trying to save her. Lady Gilbert stayed on at the house until her own death in 1936.

Recently, it has emerged that the Grim’s Dyke was used for secret military work during the Second World War. Details of this work remain classified until the 2040’s but it is believed that the house was used to examine captured German machinery and parts of shot down aircraft which were analysed by Allied scientists from Bletchley Park. This secret work was so important to the war effort that it is thought that both Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower visited the house

 

 

Event Date 06-10-2023 6:00 pm
Event End Date 07-10-2023 12:00 am
Capacity 20
Registered 0
Available places 20
Individual Price £55.00
We return to a VERY familiar location to Twilight on Friday 13th October in 2023….

More details coming soon.

Secure your place with a £15 deposit now
Event Date 13-10-2023 9:00 pm
Event End Date 14-10-2023 3:00 am
Capacity 30
Registered 10
Available places 20
Individual Price £65.00
Location Avenue House
Event Date 20-10-2023 10:00 pm
Event End Date 21-10-2023 3:00 am
Capacity 12
Registered 0
Available places 12
Individual Price £50.00
Location The Grenadier Pub
Event Date 21-10-2023 8:30 pm
Event End Date 22-10-2023 3:00 am
Capacity 21
Registered 3
Available places 18
Individual Price £55.00

Built in the early 12th century, St Briavel’s was an important royal castle on the frontier with Wales and the administrative and judicial centre of the Forest of Dean – a royal hunting ground where the game was protected and the king alone allowed to hunt.

 

The castle was in royal possession by the 1160s and was rebuilt, with the small but impressive keep, by Henry II (r.1154–89). The Forest of Dean was important for another reason – it was one of the centres of the medieval iron industry, small scale by present day standards but a vital source of supply for the manufacture of weapons, especially crossbow bolts. The crossbow was the favourite weapon of the mercenaries who were employed in considerable numbers by Henry’s son, King John, who built a new hall (now vanished) and an elaborate chamber block at St Briavel’s.

In spite of this, John only visited St Briavel’s five times in the course of seventeen years, staying no more than eleven days altogether. John’s son, Henry III, also visited the castle from time to time, adding a small chapel to his father’s house. By this time the castle was functioning more as an administrative headquarters and workshop than a stronghold.

Under Edward I, thousands of crossbow bolts were produced at the castle in preparation for the king’s Welsh and Scottish campaigns. Edward took care to ensure that his arsenal was well protected. With the conquest of Wales completed by the end of the 15th century, the castle’s importance declined rapidly and unused buildings were demolished in 1680.

Edward I added a fine twin-towered gatehouse to St Briavel's in 1292. During his reign the castle was a crossbow bolt factory, using local Forest of Dean iron to produce weapons for his campaigns against the Welsh and Scots.

 

In the 18th and 19th century, the castle was re-discovered and became a prison. King John’s former bedroom, The Solar Room, was used as court room. One can still find a stone at the castle which shows marks of swords and axes. Yes, this stone was used to relieve people of their heads. The prison was closed due to many local riots. In the 20th century, the castle was completely renovated. In 1948, St. Briavels took on its new and current function: that of a youth hostel.   

 

Many years later the gatehouse became a prison where those accused of committing offences within the forest area were held while awaiting trial.

A number of prisoners’ inscriptions remain which testify to the unwholesomeness of the gaol. Fines were a profitable form of punishment – or mutilation, which served as a public reminder of the consequences of breaking the king’s law. Another form of punishment was the oubliette (which in french translates to “to forget”) The prisoners would be thrown in to a hole in the ground, the gate above them locked and covered up until the next prisoner had the same fate.

The keep collapsed in 1752, by which time the great hall had also been demolished, and the east tower collapsed in 1777 destroying the adjoining buildings.

The castle was still being used as a debtors’ prison until 1842. After centuries of neglect and decay, the surviving buildings were restored and rendered habitable at the turn of the 20th century.

 

Surrounding the castle is the very haunted Forest of Dean, well known for the witches that used to frequent the woods for healing ingredients & even healing waters at St Anthony’s well. A stunning location used for sets for films such as Harry Potter & Lord of the rings. The views from the castle are spectacular, over looking a large portion of the Forest. We are also close to the beautiful Tintern abbey.

**SOLD OUT ** (We are no longer accepting registrations for this event)

Event Date 27-10-2023 7:00 pm
Event End Date 29-10-2023 10:00 am
Capacity 35
Registered 35
Available places 0
Individual Price £170.00
This Halloween we have exclusive access to The Morpeth arms pub cells on Devils night, the night before all Hallows eve, where the veil starts to thin….
Before your pitch black vigils in the cells beneath the pub, originally holding cells for prisoners of Millbank prison, you will enjoy a meal in the dining area of this famously haunted pub!

more info coming soon!
Event Date 30-10-2023 7:00 pm
Event End Date 31-10-2023 12:00 am
Capacity 12
Registered 0
Available places 12
Individual Price £45.00
This Halloween we have exclusive access to The Morpeth arms pub cells on all Hallows eve!
Before your pitch black vigils in the cells beneath the pub, originally holding cells for prisoners of Millbank prison, you will enjoy a meal in the dining area of this famously haunted pub!

more info coming soon!
Event Date 31-10-2023 7:00 pm
Event End Date 01-11-2023 12:00 am
Capacity 12
Registered 2
Available places 10
Individual Price £45.00

Join us for a very different Twilight event at The hauntingly beautiful Grimsdyke hotel in Harrow Weald. 

You will be able to enjoy the following;
A Grimsdyke cream Tea*, either a tea leaf or Tarot card reading, a dowsing & divination workshop with pendulums & rods ending with a seance in the woodlands surround the hotel & inside the drawing room. 


*Cream tea is 2 scones with clotted cream & Jam with a pot of tea
to upgrade to a full afternoon tea which includes sandwiches & 2 scones, pastries/cakes & tea is an extra £20pp please email to request this & make deposit payment. (We can HIGHLY recommend the afternoon tea!)

Event Date 18-11-2023 4:00 pm
Event End Date 19-11-2023 10:00 pm
Capacity 20
Registered 3
Available places 17
Individual Price £39.00
Event Date 25-11-2023 8:30 pm
Event End Date 26-11-2023 3:00 am
Capacity 20
Registered 0
Available places 20
Individual Price £55.00

Join us this December for a beautiful meal, your & Ghost hunt at the world famous Grenadier pub in Belgravia, Knightsbridge. Home to Cedric the ghost a soldier caught cheating a game of cards, subsequently beaten to death by his comrades. 

Phantom smells of tobacco & pipe smoke, shadows seen at the bar and HUGE bangs from the cellar, the spot where Cedric died. 

Menu sent 4 weeks before the event date due to seasonal changes.

more information coming soon!

Event Date 09-12-2023 8:00 pm
Event End Date 10-12-2023 3:00 am
Capacity 12
Registered 0
Available places 12
Individual Price £65.00
Location The Grenadier Pub
Event Date 23-12-2023 8:30 pm
Event End Date 24-12-2023 3:00 am
Capacity 16
Registered 2
Available places 14
Individual Price £55.00

This special afternoon at the beautiful Grimsdyke hotel features Claresentient medium Kay Maloney, who will be performing an hour of mediumship readings before you dine in the beautiful drawing room, enjoying a dinner cooked by the Grimsdyke chef, overlooking Lady Gilbert’s rose garden. 

Kay will then have a limited number of private readings available after dinner which are £10pp. To keep this fair, we will take a list of names of guests on the day who would like to book a reading & names will be pulled from a hat after dinner. 

The Grimsdyke itself is a beautiful gothic Grade II listed building, former home to Sir & Lady Gilbert, William Gilbert a dramatist part of the ‘Gilbert & Sullivan’ operas such as pirates of Penzance, the Mikado and others. The hotel itself has had its hauntings, a lady in grey often seen in the drawing room where we will be dining, a young boy seen running in the corridors and many other stories are attached to this haunting building. 


Tickets are limited so don’t book late! Tickets can be booked and secured with a £15 deposit, balance payment is due no later than 4 weeks before the event date. 

Event Date 17-02-2024 4:00 pm
Event End Date 17-02-2024 8:30 am
Capacity 20
Registered 0
Available places 20
Individual Price £45.00

 

 

 


whats included
*Accommodation at Travelodge (location revealed on booking) early 12pm check in. Breakfast included & 12pm check out Sunday.

*Dinners both evenings

*Light bites on Saturday afternoon at Trafalgar Square

*Jack the ripper museum entrance ticket

*Jack the Ripper Tour with a private guide & special Twist

*Morpeth arms Tour with myself

*Covent garden/Saturday day time tour with myself

*Haunted Hampstead tour with myself

*Sundays Avenue house tour with myself

*An Oyster card in a Twilight Lanyard topped up with enough money for your Boat Trip on Friday from Millbank to the Tower of London & tube travel 

(all other train/bus journeys are down to you to pay- you can top up the oyster I give you(most sensible) or use your bank card.

*Meal options for each dinner/Light bites will be sent to you to choose from

 

DOES NOT INCLUDE

*Any drinks at any of the pubs we stop at or restaurants we eat at for dinner

*Lunch is NOT provided. There will be opportunities & time allocated during Friday & Saturdays tours/stops for you to grab a bite & eat from somewhere/in somewhere

**SOLD OUT ** (We are no longer accepting registrations for this event)

Event Date 24-05-2024 12:00 am
Event End Date 26-05-2024 12:00 am
Capacity 20
Registered 20
Available places 0
Individual Price £270.00