Tolkien's Oxford House
20 Northmoor Road, Oxford, OX2 6UR, GB
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At 20 Northmoor Road in Oxford, marked by a blue plaque, J.R.R. Tolkien resided with his family from 1930 to 1947. It was within these walls that the celebrated author penned *The Hobbit*, published in 1937, and wrote the majority of *The Lord of the Rings*. This substantial detached house, built in the 1920s, became the backdrop for the creation of Middle-earth, with Tolkien turning the drawing room into his study where these iconic tales of fantasy took shape. The family, including wife Edith and their children, lived here during a significant period of Tolkien's academic career at the University of Oxford, initially as Professor of Anglo-Saxon and later as the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature.
The years at 20 Northmoor Road were not only a time of immense literary creation but also of family life and academic pursuits. Tolkien was an enthusiastic gardener, and alongside his wife, supervised the children in expanding the vegetable plot by digging up an old tennis court. It was also during his time at this North Oxford residence that Tolkien, along with C.S. Lewis, led the famous literary group known as The Inklings. Though the house itself is a private residence and not a public museum, its historic importance as the place where such globally beloved stories were written makes it a significant point of interest. Campaigns have even arisen with the hope of preserving the house as a literary centre to honour Tolkien's enduring legacy.
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