Fundraiser to transform JRR Tolkien’s Oxford home into a literary centre falls short of its £4.5m target

Campaign hopes to move forward with its plans at a different location

A public appeal to raise funds to convert JRR Tolkien’s home into a literary centre has fallen short of its £4.5m target.

As reported by The Guardian, Project Northmoor began a crowdfunding petition in December last year with the hope of raising money to purchase the Lord of the Rings author’s former Oxford home before it was put on the market.

The campaign – which said it intended to turn the Grade-II listed property into “the first literary centre in the world dedicated to Tolkien” – gained support from notable names including Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen who starred in the film adaptations of Tolkien's works, portraying Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings respectively.

Project Northmoor has now announced that it failed to “find a route to fund the purchase of the house before the vendor chose another party”.

As of last week the campaign had raised 17 per cent of its £4.5m ( £765,000) target.

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Unable to purchase the author’s former property, the campaign still hopes to push forward with its plans and set up a literary centre dedicated to the Tolkien elsewhere in Oxford.

“You will still be able to visit Tolkien’s city and the places that inspired his writing once the world starts travelling again,” reads the statement.

Project Northmoor wrote that those who donated to the initial cause via PayPal or JustGiving will have the option to receive a refund or have their donation go towards the new project.

The Tolkien Society, a long-running educational charity and literary society dedicated to the acclaimed author, previously distanced itself from Project Northmoor when questions were raised over how much focus the centre would put on the writer’s religious faith – Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic.

As reported by The Guardian, The Tolkien Society cited its concern that the plan they had seen for the proposed centre would “include spiritual retreats” and that Project Northmoor’s three trustees are active or former directors of Christian organisations.

Project Northmoor subsequently updated its website to clarify that it is not a religious organisation, stating it would “welcome people of all faiths as well as those of none to appreciate Tolkien’s legacy”.

Tolkien – full name John Ronald Reuel Tolkien – died aged 81 in 1973 in Bournemouth, England. He is buried in Wolvercote Cemetery, Oxford.