J. R. R. Tolkien and the University of Birmingham
Discover the surprising ties between J.R.R. Tolkien and the University of Birmingham, from family craftsmanship to campus landmarks that shaped Middle‑earth.
Article by Hope Sikolia, Final-year English Literature Student
When most people think of The Lord of the Rings, images of the Shire, magical creatures and rings come to mind. I doubt the University of Birmingham is at the top of many minds. However, there are some surprising historical connections between the famous fantasy series and the university due to the author J. R. R. Tolkien having lived in the city. Discover how a piano, a clock tower and cotton wool bring together the inventor of Middle-earth and the original redbrick university.
Ancestral Links
The significance of the Tolkien name in Birmingham precedes the celebrated writer. J. R. R. Tolkien’s paternal ancestors were craftsmen who made and sold clocks, watches and pianos in London and Birmingham. In fact, the author’s great-grandfather, John Benjamin Tolkien, built a piano in the 1870s, which is now found in Winterbourne House, a heritage site connected to the University of Birmingham.
Two Iconic Towers
Tolkien lived in Edgbaston until he joined the University of Oxford in 1911. With the clock tower being built between 1905 and 1908, it is highly likely that he regularly saw Old Joe during his childhood. Many have speculated that this iconic landmark was the inspiration for Barad-dûr, Sauron’s dark tower in The Lord of the Rings.
While most people refer to the depiction of Sauron’s tower in the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings to support this claim, the structure and brickwork in an early drawing of Barad-dûr by Tolkien seem to bear stronger similarities to Chamberlain Tower.
Surgeons and Hobbits
During World War I, the Great Hall in the Aston Webb building at the University of Birmingham was converted into the First Southern General Hospital. Having contracted trench fever in France, Tolkien was brought back to Birmingham and hospitalised on our campus on 9 November 1916.
First Southern General Hospital c.1910s
University Archives photographs UC 10/i/4
Dr Joseph Sampson Gamgee, inventor of Gamgee Tissue.
Coincidentally, one of the surgeons at the First Southern General Hospital was a professor of surgery at the university: Leonard Parker Gamgee. He was the son of Dr Joseph Sampson Gamgee, the inventor of Gamgee tissue. Due to the material the surgical dressing was made of, Birmingham locals began using the word “gamgee” to refer to cotton wool. It is this word that Tolkien borrowed for the surname of his character Samwise, the loyal hobbit that accompanies Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings.
During your next visit to our Edgbaston campus – whether you’re visiting the historical Winterbourne House, attending a graduation in the Great Hall, or just admiring Old Joe – be sure to keep Tolkien in mind and share these fun facts with someone.