In Edgbaston, Birmingham, near to where the young JRR Tolkien grew up is a tower called Perrott’s Folly. The tower is 96ft high and is the inspiration behind the tower of Orthanc, the home of Saruman the wizard in the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien’s own drawings of Orthanc have the same window structure as Perrott’s Folly.

Perrott’s Folly is currently hosting a two-week art exhibition and this will be the first time that the public have been through the doors in twenty years. The tower is undergoing a 100,000 restoration and will form part of a weekend of Tolkien celebrations starting on the 17th of May.