The Tolkien Tour of Birmingham is an absolute must walking tour for any Middle Earth enthusiast. Although Tolkien’s family were Birmingham natives, the fantasy author lived in South Africa until he was three years old. When his father died, his mother relocated the family to Sarehole in Worcestershire, which is now Hall Green in Birmingham. The family lived at 5 Gracewell Cottages—now 264 Wake Green Road—until Tolkien’s mother died when he was 12 years old. Tolkien then went to live at The Oratory in Edgbaston and was educated at King Edward’s School.
As Tolkien describes it in a 1966 interview with The Guardian, ‘I was brought up in considerable poverty but I was happy running about in that country. I took the idea of the hobbits from the village people and children.’
Both the natural environment of Birmingham and its buildings inspired the world of Middle Earth. There are different approaches to visiting these spots. But they are concentrated in the areas of Hall Green and Moseley, plus Edgbaston and Ladywood. You can try and see it all in one day. Or break it up between two areas. A couple of afternoons would be well spent, marvelling at the places that inspired the intricate and amazing works of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.
Hall Green and Moseley
Starting the trail at Sarehole Mill, walking to Tolkien’s childhood home of 264 Wake Green Road, and onto Moseley Bog, will give you a feeling of being in Hobbiton.
1. Sarehole Mill
Sarehole Mill inspired The Old Mill in The Hobbit. In the original version of The Hobbit, before it had been printed, The Old Mill was the rendezvous point for Bilbo and the company of Thorin. However, as this meeting point was changed to The Green Dragon before printing, Bilbo actually rushes past the mill on his way to start the long journey to The Lonely Mountain.
On arrival at the mill, its similarity to The Old Mill is immediately apparent. Flour is still ground there, using the attached water wheel, the likes of which were still very common in Tolkien’s time. With such an abundance of water-ways in Birmingham, mills using water wheels were very important and useful. The mill is now a museum, so you can learn a lot there about its history and also about the ways in which it inspired Tolkien. As any Tolkien fan knows, hobbits are pretty averse to mechanised methods of production. However, the wheel represents the utilisation of nature in a way that is clean and idyllic. Sarehole Mill really captures the essence of life in Hobbiton — beautiful yet practical and conducive to a slow, steady pace of life.
There is a tea shop here and plenty of Tolkien-related stuff to get nerdy about. Entry is £6 per adult and they run loads of different events.
2. 264 Wake Green Road
From Sarehole Mill, it’s only a few minute’s walk to Tolkien’s childhood home, and his first home in England. He lived here from the ages of 4-8 and the house was previously 5 Gracewell Cottages. The house is obviously inhabited by a different family now so you can’t go inside, meaning that this will be more of a passing visit than anything else. However, it gives you an idea of the proximity in which Tolkien lived to Sarehole Mill and also to your next destination — Moseley Bog.
3. Moseley Bog
Moseley Bog is a beautiful place to visit, and it just so happens that this beautiful place inspired The Old Forest. Bilbo encounters The Old Forest on his way out of the Shire and, at the very edge of the forest lives Tom Bombadil. It is a mysterious place, where the company is trapped by Old Man Willow. The hobbits believe that the trees in The Old Forest are alive. It is a place that became wild due to Sauron’s destruction of it during his attack on the elves in the second age.
The mysterious magic of The Old Forest is all too real in Moseley Bog. Although we are quite clearly in Birmingham rather than Middle Earth, as you walk around the feeling of magic that nature can elicit creeps over you, as it clearly did with Tolkien. Sometimes there are events held here, often related to Tolkien’s time spent in the area. Find out more over on the website.
Edgbaston and Ladywood
Edgbaston and Ladywood contain a wealth of locations related to Middle Earth in one way or another. Beginning with Edgbaston Waterworks Tower and heading to Perrot’s Folly, you can see the inspiration behind Minas Morgul and Orthanc. Not far from there is The Oratory, where Tolkien lived as a teenager — and you’ll spot a plaque commemorating his time in the area. The nearby Plough & Harrow pub also bears a plaque, because Tolkien visited as an adult.
1. Edgbaston Waterworks
Edgbaston Waterworks tower is supposed to have inspired Minas Morgul. It was the home of The Witch King in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He attacks Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring. However, at the end of the third book, the tower becomes Minas Ilith, as it was known before The Witch King took it.
The waterworks tower is not lit with a menacing glow and surrounded by Nazgul. You can imagine that the height of it would have made quite an impression on a young Tolkien, however. At the turn of the century, when Tolkien was a teenager, the city was not full of the high-rise buildings we are used to seeing now. The same applies to your next destination, which is just a few minutes down the road from here.
2. Perrott’s Folly
Even the name of this place is interesting and, supposedly, it inspired Orthanc, home of Saruman. It’s an incredibly striking building, built from red brick but with the strange appearance of a battlement or castle. Perrott’s Folly is a grade 2 listed building and it may have been used originally to survey the estate or search for animals to hunt. It is somewhat imposing in its stature and it is easy to imagine Sauron standing at the top, looking down upon a decimated land. You can’t enter the tower but it’s fun to imagine you’re one of the Ents, kicking off and destroying Saruman’s tower. (But maybe don’t grab stuff and start throwing it about — you’re probably not an Ent.)
3. The Oratory
Tolkien’s mother converted to Catholicism when he was a child. When she was dying, she asked The Oratory to look after Tolkien. She wanted him to have a Catholic education and he spent a great deal of time here. The Oratory is still a functioning church that holds masses and, as with most Catholic churches, you can go inside the building. They still have one of the trunks, brought to England by Tolkien’s mother when she thought they were only visiting. It reality, they were relocating from South Africa.
4. Plough & Harrow
The Plough & Harrow pub is now part of the Best Western franchise and has changed quite a lot since Tolkien visited it. However, there is a blue plaque outside and you can enjoy a nice pint inside at the end of your Tolkien tour. Tolkien stayed the night here with his wife, days before he was sent to France with a British Expeditionary Force. You can imagine the anticipation and dread that Tolkien must have felt here. He knew that he would soon be shipped off to fight in The Great War, where so many had been killed already.