The Prancing Pony

Moreton-in-Marsh is a market town in the Cotswolds. King Charles I sought refuge here after the Battle of Marston Moor. He is supposed to have taken shelter in The White Hart Royal where, legend has it, he left without paying his bill. Another inn in the town is The Bell.

Considered by many to be JRR Tolkien’s inspiration for the ‘Prancing Pony’, Middle Earth’s most famous pub in ‘The Lord of the Rings’, The Bell Inn is a traditional coaching inn. Its three-story structure and entrance through a courtyard are considered by fans to indicate that it was the template for Tolkien’s ‘Pony’ and many also believe that Moreton itself inspired the town of Bree where the Prancing Pony is located.

Tolkien, who spent most of his adult life in Oxford, frequently met with his brother Hilary Tolkien at this pub, strengthening the pub’s claim. A branch or smial (named after the word Tolkien uses for hobbit-holes) of the Tolkien Society known as the Three Farthing Smial are responsible for the blue plaque which can be found on the left hand side of the pub door.

The Bell Inn,

High St,

Moreton-in-Marsh

GL56 0AF

You can read about Tolkien’s grave here.