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Hotel swaps Bible for 'mummy porn'

by
26 July 2012

by a staff reporter

A HOTEL has removed the Gideon Bible from guests' bedsides to make way for copies of the best-selling erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey.

Damson Dene Hotel, near Crosthwaite, east of Windermere in the Lake District, which featured in a Channel 4 fly-on-the-wall documentary last year, swapped the Bible for the novel, by E. L. James, which has been described by its author as "mummy porn".

The manager, Wayne Bartholomew, was prompted to make the swap by the hotel's receptionist, who had read the book. He said: "I thought it would be a special treat for our guests to find it in their bedside cabinet."

He said that he was only "swapping one best-seller for another. . . The Gideon Bible is also full of references to sex and violence, although it's written using more formal language, so James's book is easier to read."

The owner of the hotel, Jonathan Denby, said that the swap had provoked some complaints: "The overwhelming reaction has been positive, but we have had several emails from the US quoting the scriptures."

He told the North-West Evening Mail that "it was only a bit of fun, and I do not want to offend anyone." The Gideon Bible was still available to guests who asked at the hotel's reception, he said.

The Priest-in-Charge of Crosthwaite, the Revd Michael Woodcock, dismissed the move as a gimmick. It was a "great shame" that the Bible had been removed from the rooms. "The Bible remains a source of comfort and inspiration that many people do find helpful."

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