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Tolkien's Birmingham

Did I hear somewhere that the decendants are not very happy with the way hes being portrayed?
 
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Saw the Tolkien advert on a bus in Acocks Green the other day!



No I don't think they filmed any of it in Birmingham!

Read about the Tolkien family not approving of this movie. If they didn't get approval, why did they even make it?
 
I doubt you have to get permission to make a story film about anyone - so many films have been made with famous people as the subject.
 
The Guardian reported that the family made a point that they were not so much objecting, but refusing to be associated with it, as commercial films of this type tend to overdramatise (ie invent) parts, and the family did not wish it to seem that they were going along with any of these inventions
 
Absolutely Mike. I think it’s only right that a family should be able to distance itself from these things - inevitably not everything will be based on fact in the name of of entertainment. Viv.
 
I believe the next series of Peaky Blinders will feature Jessie Eden, and it will be interesting to see how she is portrayed.

The problem of course is when there is no one to set the record straight, or doesn’t have the means to do so?
 
keithw2112 said:
the mention of twin towers could have possabily be looking across lonbridge from the lickeys with one tower being the hospital at hollymoor and the other being lonbridge pumping station origonly by the longbridge island but gone now
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The Hollymoor Grade II Listed Building doesn’t yet seem to feature in the Forum. The Google Earth 3D view and the listing description below...

769958E4-0F76-453F-BDB0-D6061278EFC0.jpeg


Hollymoor Hospital Water Tower.
historicengland.org.uk

WATER TOWER AT HOLLYMOOR HOSPITAL, Non Civil Parish - 1234427 | Historic England

List entry 1234427. Grade II Listed Building: Water Tower At Hollymoor Hospital. May include summary, reasons for designation and history.
historicengland.org.uk historicengland.org.uk
 
On a visit to Iceland many years ago. We were told by the guide that Tolkien's nanny was Icelantic and she told him many of the folk-law stories that are passed down verbally through the families during the long winter nights. Those he eventually wrote down and that is were he got his stories.
 
BigJohn said:
On a visit to Iceland many years ago. We were told by the guide that Tolkien's nanny was Icelantic and she told him many of the folk-law stories that are passed down verbally through the families during the long winter nights. Those he eventually wrote down and that is were he got his stories.
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She was his children's au pair I believe. Tolkien had read the sagas in English translation since childhood and had learned Old Norse, so he was able to greet her in Icelandic. https://guidetoiceland.is/connect-with-locals/sigrunthormar/tolkiens-icelandic-au-pair
 
What an interesting person Tolkien was. Just been reading up again about his childhood in Birmingham. Well I say Birmingham but of course neither Sarehole, Kings Heath or Rednal were in Birmingham at the time.

Another few quibbles I have. Lots of sources talk about Sarehole as a village or hamlet. Was it ever? Sarehole Mill was orginally in open fields with little sign of development in Tolkien's day and was the only use of "Sarehole" that I can trace. Incidentally I think that where Tolkien lived [Gracewell Cottages] was Wake Green.

But my real quibble is the constant reference to Sarehole [Mill] and where Tolkien lived as located in Hall Green. They were not. Again, they were both in Wake Green although in modern terms they are described as in Moseley. I've always thought of the River Cole as the boundary as does BCC. See Street View from the River Cole bridge looking towards the mill.mill.png
 
The same view today. The first house does not exist in the above photo although it looks as if the tree is still there. The black and white effect on the cottages is not quite the same
1695132068589.png
 
farmerdave said:
A Blue Plaque was erected in 1997 to say that Tolkien had stayed at the Plough and Harrow Hotel, Hagley Road in June 1916. Also found a report that this was the night before he travelled to France to fight in the WW1 battlefields. Tolkien was 24 at the time. Is there still a Tolkien restaurant at the Plough and Harrow? Dave.
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This mentions the details you gave Dave. Afraid the quality of the clipping isn't great.

Screenshot_20240810_170432_Chrome.jpg
Source : British Newspaper Archive
 
Stokkie said:
This photo taken 1905 of Gracewell Cottages shows a very different Wake Green Road to today. Source https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/directory_record/158748/gracewell_cottages
View attachment 184618
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There are references to land at Sarehole going back at least to the 1760s and 1770s, so it was understood as a place that far back. Sarehole Farm was occupied by Matthew Boultons Snr and Jnr around that time. Wake Green was in Yardley Parish, whereas Moseley was part of Kings Norton Parish, so to call Wake Green Moseley Wake Green, which happened at least as far back as the early 19th century, is to import an 'alien' name into part of Yardley. In fact Sarehole near Swanshurst would have been just as good, although there is a reference to Sarehole near Hall Green in 1761!
 
localmike said:
There are references to land at Sarehole going back at least to the 1760s and 1770s, so it was understood as a place that far back. Sarehole Farm was occupied by Matthew Boultons Snr and Jnr around that time. Wake Green was in Yardley Parish, whereas Moseley was part of Kings Norton Parish, so to call Wake Green Moseley Wake Green, which happened at least as far back as the early 19th century, is to import an 'alien' name into part of Yardley. In fact Sarehole near Swanshurst would have been just as good, although there is a reference to Sarehole near Hall Green in 1761!
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I made no statement about the location of Gracewell Cottages. Parish boundaries shift. I think when Tolkien lived there it was Sarehole, a hamlet? But if anyone wants to find the modern location then Wake Green Road will find the house. See #103 above which shows the Moseley boundary and @superdad3 comments.
 
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