The Wind in the Willows | Setting

The Wind in the Willows Setting

The Wind in the Willows is set in the English countryside along the banks of the River in a locale similar to that of Cookham Dene. Mole leaves his underground home and moves in with Water Rat whose snug burrow fronts the River.

Nearby, at Toad Hall, lives the wealthy and eccentric Toad whose elegant country estate has been handed down to successive generations of Toads. Within walking distance is the mysterious Wild Wood, once the site of a large city but now overgrown with a dense stand of trees and inhabited by hostile creatures such as weasels and stoats. The Wild Wood is also the place where the levelheaded Mr. Badger makes his home. The setting is clearly pastoral, and the only reminders of the industrial age that intrude are the motor car and the railroad, both of which land Toad in trouble.