20 travel destinations inspired by Lord of the Rings

Wolvercote Cemetery – Oxford, U.K.

After visiting the late author’s former home, Tolkien enthusiasts can also pay their respects by visiting his grave in the Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford, England. It seems fitting that Tolkien is buried in the place that inspired so much of his legacy, especially given that he spent so much of his life there.

Tolkien’s grave is located in Wolvercote Cemetery, and visitors can enter through the main entrance at Banbury Road. Wolvercote is an older cemetery, dating back to the late 1800s, and it currently contains more than 15,000 graves. Many noteworthy people are buried behind its gates, though Tolkien is arguably one of the most recognizable names visitors will find there.

The author’s grave itself is a large one, shared between Tolkien and his wife, Edith Mary Tolkien. It’s located in the Catholic section of the cemetery, and the names Lúthien and Beren are inscribed on the tombstone along with both of their names. The names both reference characters from Middle-earth, both of whom bear personal significance to Tolkien. In fact, the romance between the two characters shares several parallels with Tolkien’s romance with his wife.

Unsurprisingly, flowers and gifts are often left on Tolkien’s grave, even to this day. The Lord of the Rings fans who visit Oxford tend to stop by Wolvercote Cemetery to leave offerings for the writer, presumably to thank him for the world he created — and all the worlds and stories that now exist because of his creation. Any travelers planning to take a Tolkien-based trip around Oxford should try to add Wolvercote to their itinerary.