window.dotcom = window.dotcom || { cmd: [] }; window.dotcom.ads = window.dotcom.ads || { resolves: {enabled: [], getAdTag: []}, enabled: () => new Promise(r => window.dotcom.ads.resolves.enabled.push(r)), getAdTag: () => new Promise(r => window.dotcom.ads.resolves.getAdTag.push(r)) }; setTimeout(() => { if(window.dotcom.ads.resolves){ window.dotcom.ads.resolves.enabled.forEach(r => r(false)); window.dotcom.ads.resolves.getAdTag.forEach(r => r("")); window.dotcom.ads.enabled = () => new Promise(r => r(false)); window.dotcom.ads.getAdTag = () => new Promise(r => r("")); console.error("NGAS load timeout"); } }, 5000)
Skip to content

Sculptures honouring Hobbit author unveiled

David McKenna
BBC News
East Riding of Yorkshire Council Wooden sculpture of JRR Tolkien depicted in his army uniform and holding a notebook, along with a second sculpture depicting the writer's wife Edith danncing. There is a man standing between the two structures dressed in a suit and hat.East Riding of Yorkshire Council
The wooden sculptures, crafted by Lincolnshire-based artist Allen Stichler, pay tribute to the area's influence on Tolkien's early work

Two sculptures celebrating the legacy of JRR Tolkien have been unveiled in a village that helped inspire one of his stories.

The hand-carved artworks in Roos, East Yorkshire, depict the author and his wife, Edith.

One shows Edith dancing in a wood near the village in the summer of 1917, an event that became the basis for a scene in The Silmarillion – Tolkien's history of the mythical Middle-earth.

Tolkien, who is best-known for writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, spent 18 months in the area recovering from trench fever contracted while serving during World War One.

Councillor Barbara Jefferson, cabinet member for heritage and coastal at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: ''These artworks not only celebrate our region's unique connection to one of the world's greatest literary figures, but they also serve as a lasting tribute to the power of place in shaping imagination and storytelling.

"We are proud to honour Tolkien's legacy in such a meaningful and beautiful way."

Picture of JRR Tolkien taken in 1968. He is wearing a dark hat, a grey jacket and tie and a beige-coloured raincoat.
Officials say they are proud to honour Tolkien's legacy

The sculptures were crafted by Allen Stichler, a Lincolnshire-based artist, using oak from the Sotterley Estate, near Beccles, Suffolk. They were unveiled in the grounds of All Saints Church on Friday.

Funding was provided by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Route Yorkshire Coast.

The artworks form part of a Tolkien Triangle trail, which also includes the former military hospital in Hull where Tolkien was treated and the military bases along the Holderness coast where he was stationed.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

More related stories
Related internet links