"The Two Towers"

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Saturday, 02 January 2010

Tolkien's Birmingham - for all you Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Fans

J R R Tolkien spent some of his childhood and youth in Birmingham: from 1895 to 1911. He attended school here and when his mother died he went to live with his Aunt in Edgbaston. He then moved to lodgings in the area until he left to attend Oxford University.

It is said that some of the places around his neighbourhood inspired some of his writings. Today we did a tour of some of them. We didn't make Sarehole Mill, Hall Green or Moseley Bog where he spent some of his early years. Tolkien based his Shire on the mill and its environs and the Hobbits on the people of the area!

Edgbaston Reservoir (or Rotton Park Reservoir)

We visited here for the second time (see above link for details) and walked all around it! Remember it is/was a BCN water source. I looked in vain (on the net) for a photo of Telford's gatehouse in what is called the "corporate BCN octagonal style". So now I have two of my own and they are on the net!

BCN octagonal style Gate House at Reservoir

The connection with Tolkien? His home with his Aunt was at 25 Stirling Road, his last lodging was 37 Duchess Road and Edgbaston Reservoir is "just around the corner". Not only would he have been familiar with the reservoir and its parkland, but he also passed these two towers on his way there! Some say they were the inspiration for his second volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy - "The Two Towers".

Perrott's Folly

Perrott's Folly is one of Birmingham's oldest surviving features. Built in 1758, it is 96 feet tall and stands incongruously amongst modern housing. The question is why did John Perrott build it? Was it to survey his land, entertain guests, spot animals to hunt or even to watch over his wife's grave? I think he just wanted to "make his mark" on the then skyline of the "village" of Edgbaston!

The Waterworks Tower

Despite being very near the reservoir this was built for domestic purposes around 1870. To Tolkien it must have seemed a relatively new build! The engine house, boiler house and chimney are now grade II listed!

Finally we called in to look at the Birmingham Oratory. In 1900 Tolkien's mother converted to Catholicism and attended The Oratory. When she died in 1904, the Oratory Priest, Father Francis Morgan, became his guardian. Tolkien attended St Philip's, the Oratory School, for a short time.