Ever wondered where Tolkien found a slice of Rivendell right here in Oxford? This is Tolkien’s Table. It is more than just a stone surface. It’s a silent witness to literary history.
Tolkien, the brilliant mind behind Middle-earth, spent many years in Oxford. He studied here. He taught here. He even wrote his most famous works here. And this table played a small part in that story.
Let’s jump back in time. Imagine Tolkien at Merton College. He was a professor of English Language and Literature there from 1945 until his retirement in 1959. Merton College, one of Oxford’s oldest colleges, boasts the oldest academic library in the world.
Tolkien often sought refuge in the Fellows’ Garden. Here he would sit, lost in thought. Or perhaps deep in conversation with his friend C.S. Lewis. Lewis of course is the author of the Narnia series. This hexagonal stone table was one of Tolkien’s favorite spots.
Legend has it that this very table inspired the Council of Elrond scene in The Lord of the Rings. Picture Elrond, Gandalf, and the rest gathered. They discussed the fate of the One Ring. Now look at this table. Can you see the resemblance?
Some even say that this table gave C.S. Lewis the idea for the stone table in Narnia. A crossover between Middle-earth and Narnia? It’s a tempting thought.
Visitors can still see Tolkien’s Table today. Merton College welcomes visitors. For a small fee, you can walk in Tolkien’s footsteps. You can sit where he sat. You can soak in the atmosphere that fueled his imagination.
But remember it may not be the only place connected to J.R.R. Tolkien in Oxford. As an undergraduate, Tolkien studied Classics at Exeter College. Later he was a professor at Pembroke College for around 20 years. He lived at 20 Northmoor Road. The Eagle and Child pub was one of the meeting places of the Inklings, an informal literary discussion group. Tolkien is buried in Wolvercote Cemetery. A bench in University Parks is dedicated to JRR Tolkien. Oxford’s Botanical Gardens was, until 2014, home to one of Tolkien’s favourite trees.
So, next time you read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, remember Tolkien’s Table. It is this humble stone slab where a world was imagined. It stands as a testament to the power of place. It is a place that can spark creativity.