The Tolkien Trail
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One of the many J.R.R.Tolkien entries in the visitors book visitors the in entries J.R.R.Tolkien many the of One ain entrance to Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst to entrance ain M live on for future generations. future for on live and in the College itself. College the in and olkien's connection with Lancashire's Ribble Valley will Valley Ribble Lancashire's with connection olkien's T of his time writing, both at the guest house guest the at both writing, time his of J.R.R. 2002, in Hall Mary’s St. at Library olkien T econd World War. J.R.R. Tolkien spent much spent Tolkien J.R.R. War. World econd S late 1960s and early 1970s. With the opening of a new a of opening the With 1970s. early and 1960s late Lodge. New from that on based school for Stonyhurst College) during the during College) Stonyhurst for school taught classics at the College and St Mary's Hall in the in Hall Mary's St and College the at classics taught been have may house Bombadil's Tom from view the and seminary at St. Mary’s Hall (now the preparatory the (now Hall Mary’s St. at seminary ed the inspiration for the Buckleberry Ferry in the book, the in Ferry Buckleberry the for inspiration the ed author, which continued when his younger son Michael son younger his when continued which author, College in Rome, was evacuated to the Jesuit the to evacuated was Rome, in College working when J.R.R. Tolkien was here) may have provid- have may here) was Tolkien J.R.R. when working tonyhurst College is proud of its association with the with association its of proud is College tonyhurst S studying for the priesthood at the English the at priesthood the for studying which built Stonyhurst). The ferry at Hacking Hall (still Hall Hacking at ferry The Stonyhurst). built which tonyhurst College. Their son, John, who was who John, son, Their College. tonyhurst S the River Shirebourn (similar to the name of the family the of name the to (similar Shirebourn River the he even taught a few lessons at the College during his visits. his during College the at lessons few a taught even he a guest house in the grounds belonging to belonging grounds the in house guest a found locally, including Shire Lane (in Hurst Green) and Green) Hurst (in Lane Shire including locally, found Anglo Saxon and later of English Language and Literature, and Language English of later and Saxon Anglo his wife and other children, regularly stayed at stayed regularly children, other and wife his occur in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ are similar to those to similar are Rings’ the of Lord ‘The in occur upper gallery of the College. An Oxford Professor of Professor Oxford An College. the of gallery upper finally published in 1954/55. J.R.R. Tolkien, J.R.R. 1954/55. in published finally tonyhurst is richly beautiful. A number of names which names of number A beautiful. richly is tonyhurst S working on 'The Lord of the Rings' in a classroom on the on classroom a in Rings' the of Lord 'The on working compiled over the course of some 16 years, and years, 16 some of course the over compiled wooded landscapes and the countryside around countryside the and landscapes wooded his book, he certainly spent much of his time at Stonyhurst at time his of much spent certainly he book, his The epic ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy was trilogy Rings’ the of Lord ‘The epic The J. R. R. Tolkien was renowned for his love of nature and nature of love his for renowned was Tolkien R. R. J. Whatever the direct links which J.R.R. Tolkien used in used Tolkien J.R.R. which links direct the Whatever Hacking Ferry Hacking Rear view of New Lodge, where J.R.R.Tolkien stayed J.R.R.Tolkien where Lodge, New of view Rear t aysHl,Stonyhurst. Hall, Mary’s St. and Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst and R. Tolkien R. J.R. In the footsteps of Stonyhurst College How to Get There J.R.R. Tolkien Hurst Green is 8km /5miles west of Clitheroe and 15km/91/2 Stonyhurst in 1808. The earliest building at Stonyhurst miles north east of Preston on the B6243. There is limited was probably built in the 13th century, and added to during the car parking in the village. Buses running between Clitheroe, 14th and 15th centuries. Around Whalley and Preston serve Hurst Green. For details, contact 1590, Richard Shireburn embarked Traveline on 0870 608 2 608. on the creation of a new Elizabethan house, which wasn’t completed CLITHEROE for a further 250 years. Oliver Cromwell, who famously spent the night here on his way to the A59 battle of Preston in 1648, called Stonyhurst "the best half Stonyhurst College house" he had seen. B6243 M6 Whalley The Shireburns were devout Catholics and remained loyal to HURST GREEN B5269 A6 Longridge the king in the Civil War. Sir Nicholas Shireburn, who died in A671 32 A680 1717, was the last of the family to live at Stonyhurst. In 1754, 1 B6243 A666 M55 Stonyhurst passed to the Weld family of Dorset, who never 31A A6 A59 occupied the house and it was allowed to fall into a state of decay. A6068 A6119 7 31 A677 In 1794, the Welds placed Stonyhurst at the disposal of the 6 PRESTON 5 Jesuit English College at Liège, who were forced to flee from A675 Blackburn Accrington 30 4 the advancing French Revolutionary army. Stonyhurst began its M61 10 A677 new life as a boarding school for Catholic Boys. By the 1850s, 29 A674 M65 9 M65 2 3 a church had been built and the front quadrangle completed. A674 A675 A A6 666 During the 1880s, the South Front was greatly extended. M61 28 Stonyhurst had become one of the foremost public schools in the country. As well as its links to J.R.R Tolkien, other literary figures Lancashire associated with the college include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (a Ribble Valley, former pupil), the poet Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins (a former member of staff) and contemporary novelist Patrick McGrath. The village of Hurst Green is situated in the Ribble Valley, one of the most glorious landscapes in Britain. There is a varied The College is open to visitors during the summer holiday period choice of accommodation, restaurants, inns, shops, and and to organised groups booking in advance by arrangement. attractions offering excellent service, value for money and a warm Lancashire welcome. • Admission charged For further information including accommodation booking, • Refreshments and Gift shop maps, walks and cycle rides, contact Clitheroe Tourist Information Centre. • Limited facilities for disabled Tel: 01200 425566 • Coach parties and evening group tours (by prior arrangement) Email: [email protected] Website: www.ribblevalley.gov.uk For further details, contact: A 9km/ 51/2 miles circular walk Miss Frances Ahearne on 01254 826345. starting and finishing at Hurst Green in Ribble Valley, Lancashire. RIBBLE VALLEY BOROUGH COUNCIL In the footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien The walk starts from the War Memorial in the centre of Hurst Green 1 With your back to the main road, The Observatories walk along Warren Fold. Just beyond Hodder Place the last of the houses, go over a stile The first observatory at Stonyhurst - you will see the domed turrets of This impressive building dates back was begun in 1838 and completed in to 1780, when it was the home of a 1845. In 1868, this observatory – Stonyhurst College straight ahead cotton mill-owner. All traces of the known as the Dome Observatory – of you. Follow the wall on your mill, on the river bank below the was completed. It houses a larger left, pass through a gateway and 6 house, have now disappeared. The telescope than the original building turn sharp right. Walk across the Hodder building was greatly extended by the and is still in use by the students. field, passing a lone tree, to reach Place Jesuits in the nineteenth century the fence on the other side. when it was used as a Novitiate and then as a preparatory school until its Hill Barn Farm closure in 1971. It has since been 2 Don't go through the gate, but turn divided into privately owned houses The Barn, which stands alongside the right and follow the fence, heading and flats. path, is at least in part probably late towards the red brick cricket pavilion. medieval. Until as late as the 1820s, a Go through a kissing gate and Hacking Hall number of 14th and 15th century Garden Pavilion buildings survived at Stonyhurst. It is continue to follow the field boundary. Cromwell’s Bridge possible that the barn dates from the After passing through another kissing St. Mary’s Woodfields Also known as Devil's Bridge, the same period, as the roof is supported gate, follow the path downhill and Stonyhurst Hall 5 7 packhorse bridge across the Hodder on 5 massive oak cruck frames. This over the stream. Climb uphill with College Cromwell’s was built by Sir Richard Shireburn in building technique fell out of favour Fox Fall Wood on your left. 1562, replacing a wooden bridge Bridge 9 in the 16th century due to a Where the Hodder joins the River dating from at least 1331. Legend says shortage of timber. Ribble, take the path to the left, that it was used by Oliver Cromwell 3 As the gradient levels, bear right around the gate, to reach a stile by a during his march from Skipton to across the narrow paddock to follow Observatories R I V E R bench.