TV and Film Locations in Gloucestershire

See Guide to TV and Film Locations

The other day I took some New Zealand journalists to visit a magical place in the Forest of Dean called Puzzlewood. Could this ancient landscape have given JRR Tolkein inspiration for Middle Earth?

It is known that JRR Tolkein knew the Forest of Dean well. He took part in an archaeological dig on a Roman Temple at Lydney Park near here, the temple remains were on top of a hill once called Dwarf Hill.

Legend says that 20 years after the Romans left Britain in 400AD the local people became frightened of the hill with all its tunnels and ruins believing that lots of little people such as dwarves and hobgoblins lived there, so the whole complex was left alone for over 1000 years.

It is said that Tolkein was influenced by the mythology surrounding the site and 3 years later he wrote his famous book, The Hobbit followed by The Lord of the Rings trilogy. So its quite likely that he visited this mysterious ancient woodland area too, which in 1929 was only known about by a few people. Who knows?

Filming for Lord of the Rings took place in New Zealand, so no claims here for that. However this place has been used as a location for the television series Merlin based on the historical legends of King Arthur and also the new Dr Who series called Weeping Angels.

For more information on guided tours by Anne Bartlett