JOHN GARTH – Tolkien expert/writer
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In "The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien" by John Garth published in 2020, The FOLLY TOWER is discussed at length for two different (but both very significant) reasons. First and foremost - Garth point out that Tolkien would have been very much aware of the attempts by Lord Berners to get his tower built.
The Planning Application for the Tower (initially refused) was national news. Tolkien may well have felt a quiet kinship with Lord Berners — two men fending off the same small‑minded colleagues/officials unable to see the larger vision. On p156 - he covers The “Tower Allegory” : Tolkien’s Tower Allegory comes from his 1936 lecture on Beowulf. He imagines a man building a tower from ancient stones; critics want the stones studied, not used. But from the tower’s height, the builder sees farther than anyone expected. Garth links this to Faringdon Folly: a real tower that mirrors Tolkien’s metaphor — a structure built for imagination’s sake, giving a wider, deeper view of the world. And on p157 - Garth explains what he means by The “Tower Meme” : ...Is the recurring pattern of tower imagery that runs through Tolkien’s life and work — from his Beowulf “Tower Allegory” to Orthanc, Minas Tirith, sea‑watching towers, and his lifelong fascination with high vantage points. Garth links this to Faringdon Folly Tower because it's in Tolkien's back yard, and it physically embodies the same idea: a tower built simply to see farther, mirroring Tolkien’s repeated use of towers as symbols of imagination, perspective, and elevated insight. Furthermore Garth also specifically links Faringdon Folly tower to the Tower of Orthanc - and its crown of "gaping horns, their pinnacles sharp as the points of spears, keen-edged as knives". This could indeed be describing the top of Folly tower. Summarising the Tower Meme: Visionary builder vs skeptical outsiders… Leading in 1939 to the clear link between Folly tower and the Tower of Orthanc/Saruman’s Tower - One of the most iconic towers in Lord of the Rings. These John Garth pages DO NEED TO BE READ IN FULL. His analysis is scolarly, philological, meticulous and uncompromising — and leaves you in no doubt: The links between Tolkien and the Folly Tower are numerous, striking, compelling, and impossible to ignore . SO - we have compelling evidence from a Tolkien expert that Tolkien was perhaps a bit obsessed with the Tower – sympathetic to Lord Berners - and we also have a clear specific link between the Folly Tower and Isengard/ Orthanc/ Saruman’s tower . |
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