Lord of the Rings tower to celebrate 90th birthday

A well-known landmark thought to have links to JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings novels is set to celebrate its 90th birthday.

Faringdon Folly, in Oxfordshire, opened in 1935 with "one of the biggest firework displays that the country had ever seen".

But Sjoerd Vogt, chair of the tower's trust, said the problem with recreating this was that fireworks "don't really go well" with the neighbouring woodland.

Instead of fireworks, party-goers at an event on Saturday night have been asked to come "festooned" in fairy lights and dressed in pink, which is Faringdon's colour.

Mr Vogt said everyone was invited to the "enchanting event", which was also "very dog friendly, as long as the dog follows the dress code of course".

He said the event was "not about raising money", but was "of course about celebrating the 90 years".

The folly's trust is currently raising funds for essential maintenance work to the tower's weather-facing wall and bricks.

Mr Vogt said £350,000 had so far been raised to cover the cost of works, with just £50,000 left to raise.

"We are absolutely convinced that the members of the public are going to step up and come up with the remaining money," he said.

He added: "We have absolutely committed to starting the repairs on 9 March 2026 - that's when the scaffolding goes up."

Research suggests Faringdon Folly was the inspiration for Saruman's Tower of Orthanc in The Lord of the Rings

The folly was built in 1935 by local aristocrat Lord Berners, and is thought to be the last major extravagance of its kind to be constructed in the UK.

"In Victorian times, it was quite popular to have a construction in your garden to show off to the neighbours - and this is the ultimate [one]," Mr Vogt explained.

On a clear day, views from the top of the tower are known to stretch as far as Somerset.

Recent research suggested that the folly and its surroundings had been JRR Tolkien's inspiration for the hill in Hobbiton and the wizard Saruman's tower of Orthanc in his The Lord of the Rings series.