A former childhood home of J.R.R. Tolkien, is now a holiday rental. Fern Cottage is located at the foot of the Lickey Hills, on the outskirts of Birmingham. It became the home of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and his younger brother Hilary when their mother Mabel rented rooms there in 1904.

It once belonged to a postman and was on the grounds of a rural retreat belonging to the Birmingham Oratory Church. When Mabel Tolkien took ill with diabetes, for which there was no treatment at the time, her parish priest, Father Francis Xavier Morgan, arranged for the family to rent two rooms at the cottage where Mabel could convalesce and both she and the boys could be taken care of by the postman’s wife.

Ronald and Hilary, ages twelve and ten, thrived in the rural setting. Unfortunately, Mabel Tolkien passed away several months later and the boys’ guardian, Father Morgan, moved them back to central Birmingham.

The cottage has changed hands over the years. The newest owners, Joe and Kelly Fletcher, are Tolkien fans themselves and aware of the cottage's historic significance. They have lovingly updated the house while maintaining its original charm, and they invite guests to stay and visit nearby sites rich with Tolkien history.

For more information and to see photos of the house visit their web site at www.stayatferncottage.co.uk