Ultimate ‘Hobbit’ Fan Recreates The Shire Just to House His Tolkien Collection
If you consider yourself to be the "ultimate" fan of 'The Hobbit' or J.R.R. Tolkien, you might want to rethink that statement, especially if you haven't met this Pennsylvania resident. Even 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' and 'The Lord of the Rings' movie trilogy director Peter Jackson, who has a piece of the actual 'Hobbit' set resting in his backyard, probably hasn't met this mysterious Middle Earth enthusiast who commissioned the construction of a real-life Shire...and it's primary function, other than looking magnificent, is to house his gigantic collection of Tolkien memorabilia.
This person is so mysterious, in fact, that he refuses to give his name to the press in the hopes of preventing his new digs from becoming a tourist attraction. Fortunately, the Associated Press (via HuffPost) got a hold of the architect, Peter Archer, who created the structure and offered a tour through what has been dubbed "The Hobbit House."
Located in an undisclosed part of Chester County, Pennsylvania as part of the owner's home, the 600-square-foot Hobbit House was custom built by a team of craftsman and includes the piece de resistance: a 150-pound, hand-forged Hobbit door with iron hinges. "We weren't going to do a Hollywood interpretation. We wanted it to be timeless," said Archer. "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."
What just might be more impressive than the house itself, however, is the owner's Tolkien collection -- a vast library of Tolkien's works, 'The Hobbit' figurines, Gandalf's staff, hooded capes, chalices and one bad-ass looking 'Hobbit' chess set. Take a virtual tour through the Hobbit House with the video below.