J.R.R. Tolkien (1892 to 1973) was named ‘author of the century’ in a BBC poll, largely due to his beloved novels, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

His imaginary world, Middle Earth, became globally famous through Peter Jackson’s successful film adaptations.

Tolkien's fellowship

Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa , John Ronald Reuel Tolkien moved to Birmingham as a young boy, and his formative years were spent playing in the Worcestershire countryside which bordered his home on the edge of the city.

It was here, in Sarehole Mill and Moseley Bog, that Tolkien’s imagination was kindled in games with his younger brother, Hilary. 

A close friendship group formed at King Edward’s School (the TCBS) became Tolkien’s first ‘fellowship’. The four friends all joined up when the First World War started, and Tolkien’s experience of the Somme, and the loss of two of these schoolfriends, went on to influence his writing.

A gifted scholar, Tolkien went on to become the Professor of Anglo Saxon at Oxford. Here, he settled down to married life with his beloved Edith, and raised a family.

As a don, he befriended CS Lewis and other writers and formed a group called The Inklings, who shared and robustly critiqued each other's work in local pubs. 

Throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s Hotel Miramar on the East Cliff became a favourite holiday home for the now famous author.

He and his wife Edith regularly stayed for months at a time, booking one room for sleeping and another for his writing – now room 205 where his desk gave him the opportunity to gaze out at the sea view.

Tolkien later chose to retire to a bungalow in Poole. He died in Bournemouth on 2 September, 1973, aged 81.

His literary legacy was continued by his son, Christopher, who edited and published his father’s wider vision of Middle Earth, through The Silmarillion and 12-volumes of The History of Middle Earth.

Get creative: writing prompts

Tolkien's stories were famously descriptive and detailed, with that in mind complete these exercises with as much included as possible. Go ‘wide angle’, pedestrians, seagulls, ships, the sky, include it all.

A sea view

Write a description of how this specific day on the seafront feels. What stories have taken place along here? What has it witnessed? Think about how it might look in 20 or even 200 years. 

Grey Havens 

At the end of Tolkien’s epic, The Lord of the Rings, both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins depart from the Grey Havens, an especially beautiful Elven town, for the Undying Lands.

Gaze out over the sea towards the horizon and imagine a journey to a paradisal island. What is special about it? Imagine the unique features of this island, from its flora and fauna to its geology and sense of time.

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