Lord of the Rings prof honoured

J.R.R Tolkien’s old home gets the blue plaque treatment


A blue plaque commemorating the life of legendary Leeds author J.R.R. Tolkien has been unveiled outside his former home in the city.

Tolkien, author of The Hobbit

Tolkien, who penned the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, started his academic career at the university.

He joined as a reader in 1920 when he was 28. He was promoted to professor a few years later.

By the time he left the uni in 1925, Tolkien had established Leeds as a leading institution in Old Icelandic literature and language.

Dr Kersten Hall, from the university’s School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, unveiled the plaque on Monday.

Hall said: “According to the BBC, J.R.R Tolkien’s book The Lord of the Rings is officially the nation’s favourite book.

“The city of Leeds deserves to be proud that its local heritage is connected to a literary figure who is cherished not just here in the UK, but also across the world.”

The plaque is at his former home on 2 Darnley Road in West Park.

The plaque