Grim's Ditch (Harrow)

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Grim's Ditch
View towards Harrow from near summit of Grim's Ditch
Elevation	144 m (472 ft)
Location	Stanmore, England
Topo map	OS Explorer 173
OS grid reference	TQ138928

Grim's Ditch or Grim's Dyke is an area of countryside in the London Borough of Harrow. It extends about two miles from Bushey Heath to Harrow and is most easily reached via Stanmore. It takes its name from the pre-historic earthwork which is one of a number of Grim's Ditches in southern England.

A highroad called Old Redding passes through the centre of the trail which can be reached either by Oxhey Lane or Bushey Heath and includes a popular viewpoint for many locals. However views are actually more extensive through the breaks in the trees a few hundred yards further up the high road. Some of these are surprising for a low hill. Wembley Stadium can be seen to the south, and beyond it beginning from the east, Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, The Gherkin, the BT Tower, the River Thames, the London Eye, and the Houses of Parliament are all visible in clear conditions. Beyond Harrow-on-the-Hill to the south, Leith Hill can be seen; its 20 metre high tower can even be seen on the top with binoculars. To the north and west there are clear views of the Chilterns, and in particular Coombe Hill can be seen. The viewpoint is particularly popular at night.

The highest point of the trail, which is close to the county top of Middlesex, is just above the Grim's Dyke Golf Club which can be passed using the 'Bushey Heath Walk' footpath. The walk eventually extends through a small wood with a BT microwave aerial prominent.

In the woods stands Grims Dyke, a house designed by Norman Shaw for the Victorian painter Frederick Goodall. Later, it was the country home of W. S. Gilbert (of Savoy opera fame) — he suffered a heart attack while trying to save a swimmer in the lake in the grounds. It is now an hotel and was seen in an off set episode of EastEnders. The house and its gatehouse are both listed buildings.

The earthwork also gave its name to the telephone exchange serving Stanmore: GRImsdyke (as it was normally written).

[edit] History

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Grim's Ditch is believed to be one of the few remaining Anglo-Saxon trenches in England where Norse tribes were converted to Christianity during the 8th and 9th centuries. Its name 'the grim' is derived from the word 'hooded', a description of the dark appearance of man named Woden who was brought to England by Anglo-Saxon tribes. For the Anglo-Saxons, Woden was the carrier-off of the dead, but not necessarily with the attributes of the Norse god Odin — there does not appear to have been the concepts of Valkyries and Valhalla in the Norse sense though there is a word for the former "Waelcyrge". Woden is also the leader of the Wild Hunt. The familial relationships are the same between Woden and the other Anglo-Saxon gods as they are for the Norse. Although whatever stories recording his part in the lives of men and the gods are lost, Woden's name survived in many settlement names and geographical features.