Oxford
Oxford, the "city of dreaming spires," is a city in the South East region of England in the county of Oxfordshire and is 65 miles away from Tolkien's childhood home city of Birmingham. Oxford is home to Oxford University, comprised of 38 constituent colleges. Established in the 11th-century, it is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Tolkien spent the majority of his professional career in Oxford, having worked for the Oxford English Dictionary, been a tutor to students at the women's colleges, and serving as a Merton Professor of English Language and Literature. It was in Oxford that much of The Lord of the Rings was written.
The Rollright Stones
The Rollright Stones refer to a set of three stone monuments from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages on the boarder of Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. They consist of the King’s Men—a standing circle of small stones; the Whispering Knights—a set of three, gradually leaning standing stones; and the King Stone—a large, solitary standing stone. Tolkien would have had access to these sites and others like them during his time of living in the area and they are often thought to have inspired the Barrow-wights in Middle-earth, as The Rollright Stones might have served as a Barrow—or burial area—and sometimes have a wraith-like silhouette.
The White Horse
The White Horse pub in Oxford is a place that Tolkien would have frequented during his time in Oxford. It is likely that Tolkien frequented this pub during his work at the Oxford English Dictionary, since it is right across from the old offices, and it is thought that Tolkien and Lewis would visit the pub and share readings from their latest works. Though this is mainly conjecture, The White Horse is thought to have inspired The Prancing Pony, a pub mentioned in The Lord of the Rings.
Museum of the History of Science: Original Offices of the Oxford English Dictionary
Tolkien was assigned to uncovering the etymologies for a set of words in the "W's," including "walrus" (which he had quite a bit of trouble with) and "wampumpeg." He was a very dedicated and passionate worker by all accounts, proving just how fascinated he was by languages and their evolution, an idea he would go on to explore extensively in the creation of his Elvish languages.
In 1924, the Old Ashmolean building, which had housed the offices of the OED, was converted into the Museum of the History of Science. Though it is a small museum, it is a fascinating one, full of old astronomical instruments, clocks, cameras, alchemical glassware, and medical equipment.
Towards the end of WWI, after being declared unfit for continued military service due to continuing bouts of illness, Tolkien took a job at the Oxford English Dictionary, then known as the New English Dictionary. He only worked there for two years, 1919 and 1920, but managed to get quite a bit of work done during that time thanks to his knowledge of multiple Germanic languages.
