Tolkien Triangle will honour Hobbit author's legacy

The author who wrote the classic fantasy tales The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is being honoured with a new sculpture trail.

JRR Tolkien spent almost 18 months in Hull and East Yorkshire recovering from trench fever after World War One.

The landscape of the area is said to have been the influence of some of his stories, and now it is being recognised with North Lincolnshire-based artist Allen Stichler's oak statues.

East Riding of Yorkshire councillor Barbara Jefferson said the sculptures, which are due to be unveiled in spring, will "celebrate a literacy legacy".

"Commissioned in memory of a remarkable author whose deep ties to East Yorkshire continue to inspire, this striking sculpture embodies a unique initiative," she said.

''It not only celebrates a cherished literary legacy but also positions the Holderness region on both national and international stages, promising to invigorate the local visitor economy and attract a growing number of tourists in the coming years.''

The sculptures have been crafted in oak from the Sotterley Estate, near Beccles, Suffolk, and funded by East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Route Yorkshire Coast.

The trail, called The Tolkien Triangle, will include two new sculptures in Roos, between Hornsea and Withernsea.

One of the hand-carved oak statues will be of Tolkien's wife, Edith, depicting a memory from the summer of 1917 when she danced for him in a wood near the village.

The other statue will be of Tolkien standing in the woods as a young man.

The statues come ahead of the return of television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and a film next year, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.