| OXFORD, England (AP) -- The house where J.R.R. Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is to be placed on a national list of historically significant buildings, city officials said Tuesday.
The author lived in the eight-bedroom house in the suburbs of Oxford, central England, from 1930-47 while teaching Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University.
The famous works are believed to have been written in the drawing room of the house at No. 20, Northmoor Road.
Built in the 1920s, the house is of no great architectural significance. Listing will help to ensure that it remains unchanged.
"Buildings are usually listed because of their fine architecture or unique design," said Heritage Minister Andrew McIntosh. "But we can also give protection to buildings that have historical association with nationally important people or events."
He said the house "is largely unaltered since Tolkien's time, with original doors, door handles and ornate window catches. As such, it is an important part of our national heritage, and worthy of the additional layer of protection that listing brings."
During his tenure, Tolkien removed a wall dividing the study and drawing room to make more space for his reference books.
The house still has the long, tiled corridor that is thought to have been the inspiration for the dwarves in "The Hobbit" who sing about rolling items down the hall.
The house was built in 1924 by local architect, Fred Openshaw, for Basil Blackwell, who owned Blackwell's bookstores, still a popular chain.
"Lord Of The Rings" remains one of the most popular stories of all time and the movie "The Return Of The King," the third part of the trilogy, won 11 Academy Awards. | |
