 Peel back Wallpaper to reveal Drawings
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Hobbiton Hill - View from Hatford
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Interview with Jack Fox.
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Folly Tower Timeline vs Tolkien Timeline
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Hobbiton Hill profile identical to 1786 engraving
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Tolkien Expert links Tower to Tolkien
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Comparing Shire Map with OS Map
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Tolkien states that Hobbiton latitude equates to Oxford.
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Rivendell - A Place of Sanctuary...
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There's a sticky little conundrum concerning a bungalow in Hatford—a tiny hamlet two miles from Folly Hill when walking along Frogmore Brook— which is called Rivendell.
“So what?” you might shrug. “Rivendell is a popular house name.” Yes— it is now. But this one is different. Owner Pat Taylor explains that (according to verbal accounts) the house was most probably given the name Rivendell in 1934--three years before The Hobbit was published ( see timeline) . “In those days it was just a simple three‑room bothy - apparently” Pat says. “No amenities. Just a worker's bothy in a field. It’s been significantly extended since, but it’s always been called Rivendell.” How do we explain that? Was it named after a Welsh village perhaps? No. There isn’t one—and for good reason. Rivendell is Tolkien’s own invention: a direct English rendering of Imladris, meaning “deep valley” in Sindarin. So how could a house in Hatford possibly have been called Rivendell in 1934… unless… |
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OS Map from 1927 - suggesting no "Rivendell" bothy - yet.
OS Map "ca. 1930 - with later corrections - publ 1940" . "Rivendell" now shown - but not clear when it was added! Was it there in 1930 - or was it one of the "later corrections" ?
In this 1943 USAF aerial photo, Rivendell still stands completely isolated—nothing but open farm fields ( farmer Bill Bayliss) around it. Electricity came to Hatford in 1935 (although Rivendell didn't benefit from this until much later) , and piped water in 1954. This is when the present-day bungalows began to appear along the lane, and Rivendell was also extended from its modest beginnings.
The RAF aerial photograph from 1946 confirms this isolation, although it's clear from this photo that it's no longer a simple two-room bothy and there are now a few other structures - presumably farm buildings - as well as a well-worn driveway that's clearly in use:
Background notes:
“Rivendell” is a direct translation of "Imladris" in Sindarin (the language of Elrond's house - Elvish)
Imladris im = deep, valley lad = plain ris = cleft, riven place
Literal sense: “The Deep Dale of the Cleft” or “The Valley of the Rift”
Mythic sense: “The Hidden Hollow where the world’s long memory gathers. "
Allegorical sense: ”Place of healing, sanctuary, haven. It is the “Last Homely House” because beyond it lies the wild — the unknown, the unshaped, the perilous.
- Built c.1930-32, according to previous owners and farmer confirmation.
- Likely monthly rent in the early 30s - for three-room bothy with no amenities : £2 -> max £3 - cash in hand.
- Originally a small dwelling with extensive surrounding land.
- Only building in the row until at least the late 1940s (OS map evidence, and USAF & RAF aerial photos).
- Land parcels sold in the 1950s, after which neighbouring bungalows were built and Rivendell was also extended.
- Original front view: clear sightline to Folly Hill/Tower.
- Original rear view: open aspect toward the White Horse and the Downs.
- Pre‑60s–mid‑60s: Preacher from Wales - moved to Sidmouth
- Mid‑60s–1976: Eccentric male owner
- 1976–2003: Angela & Roger King - relocated to Germany
- 2003–2008: Margaret & Ron Taylor - moved to Spain
- 2008–present: Pat Taylor
- Hatford is a very small village, with around 25 houses today and even fewer in the 1930s.
- Electricity came to the village in 1935 (although Rivendell is unlikely to have benefited from this until it was extended) - and piped water in 1954.
- Given its size, lack of amenities, and limited social hubs, it has always been possible for someone to live there—full‑time or at weekends—and remain largely unnoticed.
- The village has never had a pub; only a small “hole‑in‑the‑wall” beer outlet existed until it was destroyed by a bomb dropped on Hatford on 19 September 1940. With no pub and no shops, opportunities for gossip were minimal.
- For example (of remaining largely unnoticed) : The parents of Julian Barnes (Booker prize winner) moved to Hatford in the 1980s and lived there for two decades. According to Joan Owen of the Stanford/Hatford Historical Society, Julian visited regularly; she lived two doors away and often spoke with him.
- Despite this, most long‑term residents interviewed were unaware of the Barnes connection.
- Julian’s brother, an eccentric Oxford lecturer who sometimes walked the village in medieval costume, was similarly unknown to many residents—even those living there at the time.
- This demonstrates that it is entirely possible to live in Hatford and remain “below the radar.”
- Joan Owen — Local Historical Society, 1 Sandy Lane. Resident since the 1980s. Has not heard of a Tolkien link but finds it perfectly credible. "Easy to be private in Hatford" . May have older village maps. Still looking.
- John Bayliss — Farmer. Farms ~1,000 acres around Hatford. His father, Bill Bayliss (1910–2014), would have known more. John finds the story plausible and confirms that Rivendell’s age fits. No surviving farm records from that period; a fire in the 1950s destroyed some archives.
- Anne Bayliss — Lives in the Manor House. Confirms her parents’ house (Woodland) was built in 1939. Knows little about the 1930s period.
- Peter & Carol Smith — Live in the three cottages. Had not heard of any Tolkien link but find it entirely possible. Note that “it’s very easy to keep to yourself in Hatford.”
- Vera & John Draper — Vera is now elderly and does not recall relevant details.
- Pam & John Speed — Live two doors down from Rivendell. Pam’s house (Gable End) was built in 1961. She confirms Rivendell already had its name when they arrived. She assumed it referred to a place in Wales because of the Welsh preacher who lived there. She was unfamiliar with Tolkien but finds the story plausible. She recalls that the preacher objected to their Sunday building work but was otherwise pleasant.
“Rivendell” is a direct translation of "Imladris" in Sindarin (the language of Elrond's house - Elvish)
Imladris im = deep, valley lad = plain ris = cleft, riven place
Literal sense: “The Deep Dale of the Cleft” or “The Valley of the Rift”
Mythic sense: “The Hidden Hollow where the world’s long memory gathers. "
Allegorical sense: ”Place of healing, sanctuary, haven. It is the “Last Homely House” because beyond it lies the wild — the unknown, the unshaped, the perilous.
