Lord of the Rings cast members back crowdfunding campaign to buy JRR Tolkien’s former Oxford house
Sir Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman are among those backing the project
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Some of the cast of the Lord of the Rings film adaptations have backed a campaign to purchase JRR Tolkien’s Oxford home.
The crowdfunding effort, named Project Northmoor, aims to transform the home of the late fantasy writer into a literary museum in Tolkien’s honour.
The house, on Northmoor Road in Oxford, is recognised as the site where Tolkien lived from 1930 to 1947, in which time he wrote The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The proposed museum would reportedly be the first such installation dedicated to Tolkien anywhere in the world.
Project Northmoor was launched by author Julia Golding, and aims to raise £4.5m within three months to purchase the house before it goes on the market.
Among the franchise actors backing the project are Sir Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Martin Freeman, who played Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit films, and John-Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli.
The house, which has seven bedrooms and a garden, would, under these proposed plans, be renovated to demonstrate what it looked like during Tolkien’s occupancy. It currently does not belong to the Tolkien estate, which is not involved with Project Northmoor.
“Unbelievably, considering his importance, there is no centre devoted to Tolkien anywhere in the world,” said Rhys-Davies.
“The vision is to make Tolkien’s house into a literary hub that will inspire new generations of writers, artists and film-makers for many years to come.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments