Pilgrimage to Tolkien's grave

[Mithalwen]

Since I was passing by Oxford on Saturday with a little time on my hands, I did something I never got round to when I actually lived there and paid my respects at Prof & Mrs Tolkien's grave at Wolvercote. Although it is in most respects quite unremarkable - other than by the inclusion of the names Luthien and Beren, and it being quite such an ordinary tomb for such a remarkable man- it is rendered unusual by the various items left by fans among the plants theat grow on it. I can understand the letters, the "Frodo lives" badge and even (just ) the toy eagle.... but why a toy lamb? Can anyone enlighten me or was it just random?

[ninlaith]

I don't know for sure but the first thing that popped into my mind after reading your post was maybe the person that left the lamb was trying to say he was the Shepard that lead the Flock. In which case he really was. He lead us all into a world we had only dreamed about and made the places and characters come to life with words. I'm not sure but that is what I think.

[Mithalwen]

Oh that is a nice idea..... especially since there were notes from people saying how much Tolkien's work had meant to them, that Tolkien had inspired their interest in literature and myth.......

[Tuor of Gondolin]

If someone has a bit of time they can do more. When I was in Oxford a while ago I picked up a pamphlet at the TIC that gave directions to a general Tolkenish tour, but an interesting bit was it told how to visit the gravesites of inklings JRRT, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. I did it in one day by taking buses, but you could probably also go by bike. They're interestingly different. JRRT's is in a suburban setting, CW in the heart of Oxford (near Magdalen College), the oldest burial area of the three, and C.S. Lewis in a church cemetery setting reminiscent of a small town U.S. protestant church setting. I think Warnie Lewis is also buried there.
Btw, the kilns is fairly close to CSL's church.

[Encaitare]

Awesome, I would love to go. I think the Beren/Luthien inscription is so sweet... hooray for Tolkien's romantic side!

We should all be so lucky that adoring fans will someday visit our graves and leave us toy lambs and eagles and letters. I wouldn't mind action figures adorning my tombstone! Oh wait, I'm gonna be cremated... never mind

[Mithalwen]

Well I found myself by accident by his house in Headington once .... but I was intrigued by the grave and I didn't have time to do more this time ..... The grave was nicer than I expected from the description in the biography and although you get the dull roar of traffic on the A34 Wolvercote is a charming village and the cemetery far more pleasant than most municipal ones which can be a little bleak ....there are lots of trees and the graves are very well tended. There are subtle markers by the path to point you to Tolkien's grave.

Well I intend to have a Woodland Burial (but I hope not for a very long time ).

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Since this isn't a book discussion, I'm moving the thread to the Barrow-Downs forum. You might also enjoy reading another account of a pilgrimage to Tolkien's grave that can be found there.

[Evisse the Blue]

I'd love to visit Tolkien's grave sometime, the keyword here being 'sometime' as I don't have any possibilities at the moment. Preferably in the dead of the night, like Squatter did (see Estelyn's link). Until then , does anyone have a photo of the tombstone, to appease my curiosity?

Tuor of Gondolin, what is TIC?

[piosenniel]

Here's a pic for you:

Beren and Luthien

And here it is, without the heraldry devices set up in the previous pic:

Tolkien site

[Evisse the Blue]

Thank you. It does look very non-imposing, easy to overlook. The banners were a nice touch, though I expect they're not usually there.

[Mithalwen]

The plants have grown a lot since then ... especially the rosemary.... In a way it is nice that it is not obvious... all the graves are well tended not just the "celebrity" one...

[Tuor of Gondolin]

TIC= Tourist Information Center. When I was there it was located in the heart of the city, on St. Algate Street. And since it was between terms I got a room just a block away for 9 or 10 pounds a night, breakfast included and a radio, but no tv. Basically a student dorm, but a terrific location.

[Mithalwen]

Were you in one of the old colleges? Years ago I stayed at "Lincoln" for a sixthform conference and was given a set of rooms on the ground floor since the study/sitting room was rather bare and exposed I retreated to the tiny bedroom and the connecting door practically fell off ..... it had been there for hundreds of years and I managed to almost break it in ten minutes...aiieeeee But Oxford is lovely and well worth a visit for Tolkienites and ... though it has to be said that the Bird and Baby has been systematically stripped of character like so many of the pubs in Oxford.... the Lamb and Flag across the road was much more the kind of thing you would imagine but that was under threat when I was there in '96 and I haven't dared go back and see ..... But still Oxford is sublime, the loveliest city in England of those I have been too.....

[Orominuialwen]

I am now so regretful that I had not yet discovered Tolkien when my family went to England three years ago. We never made it to Oxford (we were only in the country for four days), but we did go to Bournemouth. Hopefully next time we visit my grandmother in France, we can go to England again and visit the Professor's grave.

[Lhunardawen]

Looking at those pics made me feel like I was visiting the grave of a hero, which in a sense he is.

The banners were beautiful, too.

[Mithalwen]

Oh well I live near Bournemouth and it ain't quite in the same league....lol and he lived there too late for me to claim my beloved New Forest nearby as an inspiration for any Middle Earth landscapes.... I haven't been to see his house there (or in Oxford) cos it must be a real pain for the new residents to have people gawking at them

[Tuor of Gondolin]

Posted by Mithalwen: "Were you in one of the old colleges?"
----------------------------

I had to find an Oxford map to check. It was either Lincoln or Brasenose College, highly probably Lincoln, since I recall stepping out and being right on Turl Street, near a tiny gift shop. It's surprising, even when there were packed crowds on Cornmarket or Queen Street you could move as little as Turl or Holywell and have an almost deserted place to stroll (at least in April/May).

P.S. Oxford also has my favorite museum in England, Pitt Rivers.

[Mithalwen]

OMG - I love the Pitt-Rivers a true Mathom House .... it reminds me of this house I stayed in as a child belonging to an old friend of my mother's who had married into a family of hunters / explorers ... the P-R seemed so much less museum more the most amazing junk room ..... just so random.... the turl is generally much quieter as I recall ....but I lived out at Cumnor Hill .... If you had been at Brasenose you would probably have noticed teh Radcliffe Camera..... and the university church.....