"The Wind in the Willows is one of the most beloved books of British children's literature, but while most people think of the jolly adventures of Toad, Mole and Rat, Kenneth Grahame's 1908 story has a darker side. And it was a step too far for the Beadle security guards at Westminster Abbey, who told a visitor wearing a sweatshirt with an illustration from the book that she had to take it off because it was an image of the devil."
"She had been on a short break in London for a couple of days from her home near Morpeth, Northumberland, with her husband, Daniel, and had booked tickets to tour Westminster Abbey. The Hellebore hoodie was deemed demonic' by staff at the abbey. Linsey, 38, who is a visitor operations manager at a zoo and a freelance music journalist, said: I didn't take much with me and it was a bit chilly that day so I just threw on the sweatshirt without a second thought."
Kenneth Grahame's 1908 The Wind in the Willows includes a chapter featuring a Pan-like figure illustrated by W. Graham Robertson. Folklore magazine Hellebore reproduced that image on clothing, which Linsey Teggert wore during a Westminster Abbey visit. Abbey security told Teggert she had to remove or cover the sweatshirt because the image was an 'image of the devil' and might offend visitors. Teggert, a folklore fan and history enthusiast from near Morpeth, argued the figure represented Pan. She had travelled to London with her husband, booked an abbey tour, and works as a zoo visitor operations manager and freelance music journalist.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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