On Friday 6 June two new carved wooden sculptures celebrating the area’s influence on J.R.R Tolkien’s work will be unveiled.
The event will take place at All Saints Church in Roos.
100 public tickets will be available via the following link
until 8.00am on Friday 6 June, or until all tickets have been allocated.
The launch will feature a short talk by local historian Phil Mathison and an official viewing from 10.30am. Tickets will be free of charge with a maximum of 4 per person.
The hand-carved oak statues of the writer and his wife, Edith, will depict a treasured memory from the summer of 1917 when she danced for him in a wood close to the village. This very moment inspired ‘Of Beren and Lúthien’, a pivotal episode in ‘The Silmarillion’, a collection of tales and legends revealing the story of Middle-earth.
One statue will show the young Tolkien around eight-and-a-half feet high, while the second installation, beside it, will depict Edith dancing in silhouette etched into a thick oak slab.
Councillor Nick Coultish, cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism at East Riding of Yorkshire Council said, “These statues aim to honour J.R.R. Tolkien’s profound connection to East Yorkshire, a place that played a pivotal role in shaping the imaginative world of Middle-earth.
“The unveiling of these statues stands as a tribute not only to his time here during the First World War but also to the lasting impact this beautiful landscape had on his creativity. Tolkien found inspiration for some of his most enduring stories, and it is fitting that we celebrate his legacy in the very place that helped spark it.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors to East Yorkshire in the coming years and hope this project provides and economic boost to the Holderness region.”
The project has been funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Route Yorkshire Coast.
