3 Manor Road

From Tolkien Gateway
3 Manor Road

3 Manor Road in Oxford was the home of Ronald, Edith, and Priscilla Tolkien from 1947[1] to 1950. They moved to this "tiny terraced house",[2] owned by Merton College, when their previous home, the house at 20 Northmoor Road became too big and costly to maintain after the boys had moved out.

But quite soon they found their new home too small: there was no room that Tolkien could use as a study. Tolkien stated that he typed out The Hobbit (once) and The Lord of the Rings (twice) while sitting on a bed in the attic.[3] Merton College promised to offer Tolkien a larger house as soon as one became available. In 1950 the Tolkiens moved to 99 Holywell Street.[4]

Theologian Austin Farrer and his wife Katherine lived in number 7 of the same street,[5] and after the Tolkiens moved, Ronald kept correspondence with them, especially with Katherine.

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