Project Northmoor: A Red Light Over Tolkien’s House

The internet is currently buzzing with stories about Project Northmoor: the plan to buy J.R.R. Tolkien’s old house in Oxford, with the aim of turning it into a Centre:

https://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2020/12/middle-earth-fans-raising-funds-to-buy.html

As interesting as this is, there are some significant flies in the ointment. Before anyone considers donating, I would strongly recommend reading the discussion here:

https://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=3893

Essentially, the objections are as follows:

• The Tolkien Estate is not involved.
• The Northmoor property does not need saving. There are no plans to demolish it, and indeed it is a Grade II Listed Property, which means any alterations need external regulatory consent – https://www.hiscox.co.uk/home-insurance/cover-stories/grade-ii-listed-building-regulations/
• The proposal would not create a publicly accessible Tolkien Museum, but rather a vaguely-defined cultural space for seminars and creative writing retreats. The connection with Tolkien is not clear, beyond using his old house.
• The donations will not be refunded if the property is not bought.
• As per the discussion, there seems to be some issue with donations from the USA not necessarily going towards the property purchase.
• Building a hobbit house in the garden, a flet in the tree, and a ‘Smaug’s Lair’ makes it sound like Disneyland.

Putting all of this together… I am sceptical about this project, especially when one considers that many people are facing significant pandemic-related hardship. There are better ways of spending millions in 2020.

Addendum: As of 8th December, the Tolkien Society itself has weighed in, making an excellent critique of Project Northmoor along the way: https://www.tolkiensociety.org/2020/12/statement-on-project-northmoor/

• December 4, 2020
• Real Life, Tolkien essays
• 1 Comment