The Lyra + Will Bench at Oxford Botanic Garden.

For those who have completed the series, the aforementioned site is an exciting tangible connection to what is otherwise a work of fiction. I think I should like to visit it someday if I could - as one would do if on a pilgrimage. I've seen photos and read description that reveal since Pullman's work has been published, the words "Lyra + Will" has actually been carved into the bench. This is a bit upsetting as it feels like vandalism. I get that fellow fans want to express their love of the story and pay tribute to their favorite characters. But couldn't we have left the icon pristine? Unless Pullman himself wrote that it was marked thus, I don't think it should have been up to any of us to do so. Sorry. Rant over.