Perhaps his garden leads to a stream, which then becomes a river and he's the lonely, only, careful keeper. Perhaps he has a assortment of coins left by voyagers to the other side.

you mean my neighbour is Hades guardian of the Styx

So maybe more mausoleum than museum, eh?

Mausoleum ? Reminds me of the house where a schoolfriend lived. His grandfather, a successful businessman in the booktrade, died in mid 1942 due to overwork. Between that day and her death in 1970, his grandmother kept his working-room absolutely unchanged, the three fountain-pens in the position they were when he died, and nobody was allowed into the room at any time. That it was the one room with no sunshine and completely in the shadow added to its appearance. My friend once, when his "Oma" was out, lead me through eating-room and "Bibliothek" into the Mausoleum. It was sinister

Mr. Vertigo's tale of the swiss Carl Conrad Coreander.

Thanks for sharing!

We had one like that - he used to clip daisies with small scissors- his garden was so pristine and ... boring. Not a Swiss though- very British. I'd say actually that the Swiss are much more relaxed about their gardens than the average suburbanite in UK.