The exact location of the Hobbit house is not being disclosed (Picture: AP)

‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit’ are the words with which The Hobbit famously opens, but one lifelong JRR Tolkien fan has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure he experiences the same level of comfort enjoyed by Bilbo Baggins.

The stone cottage, a veritable Hobbit house, is tucked away in the Pennsylvania countryside in the US, where the owner hopes to store his extensive collection of Tolkien books and memorabilia collected over the last three decades, as well as bring a corner of Middle Earth closer to home.

The 600-square foot (55-square metre) building, a short walk from the main house, was built by architect Peter Archer and a team of craftsmen.



Speaking on the owner’s behalf, Mr Archer said the beauty of the project was how the building blended in with its surroundings, featuring stones from an 18th century low wall that runs through the garden.


‘We wanted a single structure, a relaxing place that was diminutive in scale, for the owner to come and hang out and just be in solitude with his collection,’ he said.

‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.’ – The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien

‘This isn’t something that you can recreate on a suburban cul-de-sac; it was made for this specific location and it wouldn’t work anywhere else,’ Mr Archer continued.

‘We weren’t going to do a Hollywood interpretation. We wanted it to be timeless. It was built in 2004 but looking at it, you could think it was from 1904, or 1604.’

The Hobbit house features modern heating, electrical and security features (Picture: AP)

The Hobbit house features a round Spanish cedar door with – as Tolkien described – a knob directly in the centre; mahogany windows; a roof covered in clay tiles from France, curved arches and rafters of Douglas fir; a fireplace finished in stucco and plentiful shelves and ledges where Gandalf’s staff, hooded capes, chess sets, chalices and, of course, The One Ring, reside.

Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

While Tolkien wrote in the Hobbit that Bilbo Baggins was fond of visitors, the owner of the Hobbit house wants to remain anonymous to avoid his secluded property becoming a tourist attraction.

The final cost of the project has also not been disclosed, although Mr Archer said he was working on a similar project in Tasmania.

What do you think of the Hobbit house? If you could replicate any location from Middle Earth in your back garden, what would you build? Let us know in the comments field below.