JRR Tolkien, the writer of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and more, spent his early life in Birmingham. In this class I trace the famous writer’s life from his arrival in the UK when he was 4 years old to the time he left to go to Oxford University.  We take a tour of the places where he lived, played, went to school and explored, and that later inspired his writing. These include places that are directly linked to his impressive creations of Middle Earth, the Old Forest and the Two Towers.

I have close family connections to the Tolkien family, and also live near Birmingham, so have taken a special interest in the places the author grew up.  I share plenty of images of the actual places that Tolkien knew, and we match how these places appear in his books.

My classes are friendly and welcoming.  I use a powerpoint to show key information and photos, but it is not a lecture-style class. I encourage the learners to join in, and there are lots of opportunities for discussion too.   I am sure lots of the learners will know the books far better than me - I am sure some of them will want to talk about what they know too.

I aim for my classes to be inclusive; if your learner has any additional needs please let me know how I can accommodate them.