A small Welsh town is rallying to purchase a letter from JRR Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, in which he discloses that a fictional location in his novels was inspired by the town of Crickhowell.
Details of the Letter
Dated February 1966, the typed letter is addressed to a Jenny Hall from Headington. Christie's, the auction house handling the sale, describes it as a "thoughtful and engaging reply to an attentive reader." The letter is expected to fetch between £5,000 and £7,000, with bidding commencing on July 8.
In the letter, Tolkien writes: "Thank you very much for your nice letter. I have been in most parts of Wales, but the place names I use are made up from English models or borrowed from books, though Crickhollow was actually meant to resemble Crickhowell."
He continues: "The walking elms were meant to be ents (but not entwives). Gandalf had asked one or two of them to keep a watch on the Shire, but he did not tell anybody about it."
Crickhollow in The Lord of the Rings
In Tolkien's epic fantasy, Crickhollow is a location in Buckland, northeast of Brandy Hall. It is primarily known for an isolated house occasionally used by Brandybuck Hobbits.
Fundraising Effort
Frank Ady, a resident and business owner in Crickhowell, has launched a fundraising campaign with a target of £2,200 to acquire the original letter. The goal is to display it in the town for both visitors and locals to enjoy.
In his appeal, Ady wrote: "We have all heard a lot of stories passed down through the last few generations that Tolkien spent a lot of time holidaying and visiting Crickhowell, with inspiration for his characters and places in his wonderful literature actually coming from this special town where we live."
He added: "A letter written by Tolkien back in 1966 has emerged which directly mentions Crickhowell as an inspiration for Crickhollow in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy books. This letter is now up for auction with Christie's and I thought it would be lovely to purchase the original and display in the town for visitors and locals to view."
As of now, nearly £1,000 has been raised toward the goal.
