Tolkien in England

[ekrosell]

Hi guys! I'm brand new here at the Forum, but I'm a long-time fan Tolkien and all his works.

...So I have a question about Tolkien, and I thought that no one would have better answers than you guys. I'll be traveling to England very soon with small group of people. We'll be going all over the country, then spending a few days in London.

Because I am such a diehard fan of Lord of the Rings and J. R. R. Tolkien, I really want to make every effort to see the places that would mean the most to both the author himself and his fans. So can you guys recommend any places or things to me?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sauget.diblosio]

the tower that some say could have inspired Tolkien's many references to towers in the books. It's near Tolkein's childhood home. Not very significant, but it looks cool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:SpecialPages

 

[Elizabeth]

Tolkien tour of England

It includes Perrotts Folly, Sarehole Mill, and the major Oxford sites. Spend at least a few days in Oxford, because it is wonderful in so many ways, including & beyond Tolkien. Walk around the various colleges, see the Ashmolean Museum, the Bodleian Library, and much more.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[DanielLB]

Sarehole Mill, Moseley Bog and Perrott's Folly are a must. If you go to Sarehole in May, there is a Middle Earth Weekend. There's a nice pdf here of the Tolkien trail.

There are a number of properties that Tolkien lived in that you can visit:

264 Wake Green Road, Hall Green
214 Alcester Road, Moseley
25 Stirling Road, Edgbaston
37 Duchess Road, Edgbaston
4 Highfield Road, Edgbaston
2 Darnley Road, West Park

There is also Addison's Walk in Magdalen College (Oxford), plus the University Botanical Gardens where he famously sat against the tree. Across the road from the Eagle and Child,there is a pub called the Lamb and Flag, which was also an Inklings meeting place. From what I remember, there are no manuscripts in Bodelian Library, so you won't be able to get up close and personal with any of his writings.

And then there are just many locations that would've been inspiration for Tolkien - Somerset and Dorest, Glastonbury Tor, Cheddar Gorge and so on.

I use to live 5 minutes from the cemetery where Tolkien is buried. I regularly visited, and I find that the most touching place to visit.

 

[geordie]

- that, and the tower of the Edgebaston waterworks, have been put forward as 'possible inspirations' for the title of the second volume of LotR for years. There is no evidence of any kind to support this urban myth - for one thing, Tolkien didn't have the title 'The Two Towers' in mind when he wrote the book.

Sorry, but this sort of unsubstantiated rubbish grinds my gears.

The rest of the list is fine - esp. Magdalen College and the Botanic garden. Oh, and Merton College is lovely, too.

 

[ekrosell]

Hey guys! This is a very, very late reply... but I just wanted to thank you for your help and advice!

...I went with a group, so I wasn't able to see all the places you mentioned, but I did get see the Botanical Gardens, Wolvercote Cemetery, and the outside of Merton and Exeter College. They very best part, however, was eating inside of the Eagle & Child.

Thanks again! It was amazing!!!