Blue Plaque: J.R.R. Tolkien
20 Northmoor Rd, Oxford OX2 6UR
Rating: 3.8 ★ (37 ratings)
Details
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa, the son of a bank manager of German origin, but educated at King Edward VI’s School, Birmingham and Exeter College, Oxford. He returned to Oxford after service in the First World War, during which he wrote his first stories. He worked on the Oxford English Dictionary before starting his career as a Reader at the University of Leeds. In 1925 he was appointed Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford; from 1945 until his retirement in 1959 he held the Merton Chair of English.
Location
Contact
http://www.oxonblueplaques.org.uk/plaques/tolkien.html
Comments
19 Aug 2025
Whoever bought it doesn't want any visitors, well-wishers or distant relations. They've built a huge privacy fence. Don't bother
17 Jun 2025
Sadly this is a private property so it is fully fenced and you can barely see the plaque, let alone read it.
Still a fun little walk and not too far from the Tolkien Bench.
Still a fun little walk and not too far from the Tolkien Bench.
19 Oct 2023
Historic blue plaque is visible but virtually unreadable. Remodeling currently underway. Private residence. No tours available.
2 Jun 2023
Every Tolkien fan needs to see the place where the grandfather of fantasy lived. I also recommend visiting his grave where you can pay your respects to him and his wife. Not all who wander are lost.
If this leads to someone bringing a ladder or a lantern in the middle of the night to get a glimpse of the Blue Plaque I can't say I'll be sorry for the owners.
Having said this, I hope they sell it to someone that respects Tolkien's legacy.