Tower which inspired Tolkien to be restored
A tower which inspired JRR Tolkien to write his Lord of the Rings trilogy will be restored under plans revealed by an Oldbury charity, which bought the structure for just £1.
JRR Tolkien drew inspiration from Perrott's Folly tower in Birmingham to write the much-loved trilogy and now bosses at Oldbury-based Trident Reach the People Charity, are hoping to restore the tower and open it as an arts centre to inspire other creative people to fulfill their potential. The £1 purchase was made in 2009, for a peppercorn rent.
But now there are plans for a £1 million revamp.
Eccentric landowner John Perrott, who lived in Belbroughton in Worcestershire, built the 96 ft tower in 1758 on the remains of a medieval hunting park – "parc de Rotton", now known as Rotton Park.
Benjamin Bradley, responsible for Perrott's Folly at Trident Reach the People Charity, said there are various theories as to why the tower on Hagley Road was built.
"The most likely being that, in keeping with the fashions of the day, it was an elaborate hunting lodge where Perrott could entertain guests and survey his land. It has also been suggested that it was a vantage point for Perrott to look at his wife's grave 15 miles away.
"Another more fanciful theory is that he used it to spy on his wife when he suspected her of having an affair with the gamekeeper."
The impressive seven storey structure has an octagonal base and a spiral staircase of 139 stone steps linking the single rooms on each floor.
In 1884, pioneering Birmingham glass-maker and meteorologist Abraham Follett Osler took on the tower and turned it into the Edgbaston Observatory. It became part of one of the world's first regular weather forecasting services. The observatory was later used by Birmingham University.
Novelist JRR Tolkien grew up just a stone's throw away from the tower.
