Sarehole Remembers Tolkien

In December 2000 several interested groups met together to discuss the possibility of creating a country park to honour J.R.R. Tolkien and his connections with Birmingham, not least his living in Wake Green Road, opposite to Sarehole Mill, an inspiration to much of his work. The Tolkien Society, the River Cole and Chinn Brook Conservation Group and Moseley Bog Conservation Group working in partnership came up with a preliminary proposal for a possible way forward. At the heart of the project was the development of a Tolkien Centre close to Sarehole Mill. This Centre to be sustainable, environmentally friendly and used for the encouragement of literacy, creativity and respect for the environment.

Progress

The Birmingham Tolkien Group was formed to try and further the ideas discussed.  Successes so far include The Shire Country Park which now exists covering the area along the River Cole from the Solihull Border, for several miles in towards the centre of Birmingham and includes the atmospheric Moseley Bog where Tolkien and his brother Hilary played as child. Sarehole Mill is at its heart.

The Rangers who care for the Country Park have launched Shire Country Park Friends and everyone is welcome to become a member and involve themselves with helping the Rangers care for this important green space.  To find out more click here http://www.shirecountrypark.org.

 It was during early discussions, that the idea of a weekend event to celebrate Tolkien's life and work was suggested. The first one (Fun at the Mill – 2000) was small scale but very successful and involved several local groups volunteering entertainment, information and creative activities to an eager public. Since then the weekend has grown considerably in size and ambition, and the number of visitors has increased along with it. The success of the films The Lord of the Rings added to the numbers attending, but even after the three films were over, the public still came to the Weekend.  The original volunteer groups have maintained their support but the event has grown from a few hundred visitors to several thousand, and includes more ambitious drama presentations and the emergence of the self-supporting Shire Productions amateur drama company, together with more exciting exhibits, craftspeople, lecturers and entertainers taking part.                              

The Tolkien Society’s dream of a Tolkien Centre based at the mill, is ongoing at the moment and discussions are underway with the City, the Environment Agency and other interested parties, to select plans and find funding, as part of Birmingham’s "Tolkien Strategy".  

Various sites are under discussion, and the final site has yet to be decided when opinions and expertise from all interested parties have been fully discussed.  The original site that was chosen turns out to be on a flood plain and this was well demonstrated in July 2008.  The committee are looking at alternatives and welcome  suggestions until such time as a favourable site reveals itself.