People from around the globe, including a list of Hollywood stars, have joined with award-winning author Julia Golding to launch a crowdfunding campaign to try and save 20 Northmoor Road, the Oxford house in which famed Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, in advance of its being put on the market for sale.
The initiative, Project Northmoor, aims to purchase the house and set up a literary center in honor of Tolkien, one of the most beloved literary writers of the Twentieth Century. Tolkien, a devout Catholic whose faith influenced and penetrated his writings, is best known as the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Preserving his legacy and the importance of his works is a priority for Catholics who value the great literature influenced by Tolkien’s Catholic faith.
Ian McKellen, the acclaimed actor who earned an Oscar nomination for his role as wizard Gandalf in the 2001 film, The Fellowship of the Rings, is helping to gather a new fellowship of funders to purchase the house. A crowdfunding campaign opened on December 2 at www.projectnorthmoor.org.