Tolkien's Walk

An Unexpected Personal Connection With Tolkien

Abstract

A friend of Tolkien discusses the amount of history and influence that Tolkien’s hometown of Ladywood may have had on him. Joseph Henry Shorthouse lived in this area and was quite successful in the 1870’s, and he was an author who wrote John Inglesant. Power believes that living in this area. Tolkien was unnoticedly influenced by the writings and life of Shorthouse, specifically by the house used in “Inglesant”.