Toad Hall
An editor has nominated this article for deletion. You are welcome to participate in the deletion discussion, which will decide whether or not to retain it. |
| Toad Hall | |
|---|---|
| 'The Wind in the Willows' location | |
 The 1913 edition of the novel | |
| Created by | Kenneth Grahame |
| Genre | novel |
| In-universe information | |
| Location | The Thames Valley |
Toad Hall is the fictional home of Mr. Toad, a character in the 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
History
On his retirement from the Bank of England in 1908, Grahame returned to Blewbury in Berkshire, the county in which he grew up. In October that year he published The Wind in the Willows, a novel for children featuring an array of anthropomorphic characters, including Rat (a water vole), Mole, Badger and Toad.[1] Toad lives in a house on the edge of the River Bank, Toad Hall. The novel was almost universally condemned by critics, but achieved very considerable sales.[2] It has been in print continuously since its publication and has been adapted for plays, a ballet,[3] films and musicals.[4] Originally published as plain text, it has subsequently been illustrated by a number of notable artists including Paul Bransom, Arthur Rackham and E. H. Shepard.[5]
Description
Grahame's description of Toad Hall is sparse: "a handsome, dignified old house of mellowed red brick, with well-kept lawns reaching down to the water's edge".[6] Its owner is in no doubt as to its merits: "'Finest house on the whole river,' cried Toad boisterously. 'Or anywhere else, for that matter.'"[7] The hall has a "very old banqueting-hall" and a "large boat-house".[6] Stables stand to the right of the house, as viewed from the river.[6] An ancient underground passage, unknown to Toad but vouchsafed to Mr Badger by Toad's father, and of critical importance to the novel's denouement,[8] "leads from the river bank ..., right up into the middle of Toad Hall".[9] Using the tunnel to gain access to the house, the ensuing battle between Toad's supporters and the weasels has been described as a "masterpiece of asymmetrical warfare".[10]
Inspirations
A number of houses have been cited as the inspiration for Toad Hall. These include:
- Fawley Court in Buckinghamshire;[11][12][13]
- Fowey Hall Hotel in Cornwall;[14]
- Foxwarren Park in Surrey;[15][16]
- Hardwick House in Oxfordshire;[17]
- Mapledurham House also in Oxfordshire.[18]
The house's title has also been an inspiration in the subsequent century: examples of Toad Hall are found in a 1930s mansion in Aiken, South Carolina by the architect Willis Irvin;[19] an estate in the Virgin Islands;[20] and a restaurant at Disneyland Paris.[21]
Gallery of claimants
-
Fawley Court, Buckinghamshire -
Fowey Hall Hotel, Cornwall -
Foxwarren Park, Surrey -
Hardwick House, Oxfordshire -
Mapledurham House, Oxfordshire
Notes
- ^ "Kenneth Grahame biography". Pook Press. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ Preston, John (10 February 2008). "Kenneth Grahame: Lost in the wild wood". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Motion, Andrew (7 December 2002). "Return to Toad Hall". The Guardian.
- ^ Williams, Albert (2 February 1989). "The Wind in the Willows". Chicago Reader.
- ^ "Wind in the Willows Books & Illustrators". World Collectors Net. 27 May 2012.
- ^ a b c Grahame 1995, p. 35.
- ^ Grahame 1995, p. 36.
- ^ "The Wind in the Willows—A Summary". Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ Grahame 1995, p. 184.
- ^ "The battle of Toad Hall is a masterpiece of asymmetrical warfare". Task & Purpose. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ "High Court fight over 'Toad Hall'". BBC News. 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Would the real Toad Hall please stand up". Creation Theatre Company. 23 November 2017.
- ^ Channer, Nick (23 February 2013). "Wind in the Willows Centenary". Berks&Bucks Life.
- ^ Duncan, Fiona (3 October 2017). "Is this Cornwall's most family-friendly hotel?". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Foxwarren Park, near Cobham, Surrey". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ Nichols, Michelle (10 March 2001), "Is this house the real Toad Hall?", The Scotsman
- ^ Davidson, Max (24 October 2015). "Secrets, scandal and Toad of Toad Hall: the properties with stories to tell". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Serck, Linda (15 October 2008). "Who spawned Mr Toad?". BBC Berkshire.
- ^ "Ryefields captures 1930s Aiken Toad Hall adds to history Leadership winner a staple for populace Praised for preservation". Aiken Standard. 23 February 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ "Toad Hall Estate acquired as a national park". Virgin Islands Ministry of Natural Resources. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ "Designing Fantasyland – Toad Hall Restaurant". [The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: Text "Designing Disney]]" ignored (help)
Sources
- Grahame, Kenneth (1995). The Wind in the Willows. London: The Folio Society. OCLC 38040126.