Crickhowell win bid for Tolkien letter but there’s a catch!

WHEN Christie's announced that they were auctioning a rare J.R.R. Tolkien letter that cited Crickhowell as a key influence for The Lord of the Rings, it generated more excitement than a ring-wearing hobbit in Mordor.

Like an army of snarling orcs on the rampage, locals cried, “The letter belongs to us. We must bring it home.”

The letter from Tolkien addressed to Jenny Hall from Headington reads, “Dear Jenny. Thank you very much for your nice letter. I have been in most parts of Wales, but the place names I used are made up from English models or borrowed from books, though Crickhollow was actually meant to resemble Crickhowell.”  

Many in the town had long suspected that Tolkien, who had stayed in the local area, had become enraptured by its timeless charm and used it as an inspiration for key aspects of Middle-earth, but to have it confirmed in writing left many in what County Life has recently branded “the New Cotswolds” beside themselves with pride.

And it came to pass that a fundraiser was set up by local man Frank Any to raise the necessary funds to make a successful bid for the letter.

Cometh the hour and cometh the bid. With over £9000 in their back pocket, the Crickhowell contingent were determined to go hard or go home.

They were prepared for the bidding war to start big, but were a bit gobsmacked when bidding started on the day at £12,000.

In over their heads from the kick-off, the Crickhowell contingent dug in deep and fought tooth and nail for the letter that they believed belonged to their town and not some multi-millionaire Middle-earth obsessive on the other side of the world.

They eventually outbid all comers and won the letter for £15,000, which, along with the auction house commission, came to a final bill of £19,800. Whoops!

Frank Ady explained on his Facebook page, “The wonderful news is that this letter will be coming to live in its rightful home right here in Crickhowell for both locals and visitors to see. The tougher news is that although together, we raised the considerable amount of over £9000, the bidding started on the day at £12,000. I just couldn’t let the letter drift off into the ether and potentially the other side of the Atlantic when it seems such an important thing for our Town.

“I went on to bid and was successful at £15,000; however, with the auction house commission, I have a bill for £19,800. Whilst Sam and I can put a little more in, my appeal is this: can you please help and give a little more too?

“I understand that many of you have been so generous already, but I need to work out how I’m going to pay the balance off. Please help and spread the word if you can. We will be looking at some fundraising ideas in the next few weeks, and many have already offered to help. If any town can come together to do this, I know it’s Crickhowell.”

If you fancy helping, then visit the “Bring the JRR Tolkien letter back to Crickhowell” GoFundMe page.