[valknova]

I was told Tolkien was living one street away from my house here in leeds6 when he wrote the draft LOTR.He was teaching English @ LeedsUniversity (1922-1929?) and he lived here in leeds6 where I grew up. He once said that the blackened industrial Mills and ancient black-spired churches here in Leeds inspired him to write about a place called Mordor.I was told he sat next to my local church (All Souls) and saw the shadowy towers + the idea for Mordor struck him.I don't if I should be proud that my neighbourhood is the inspiration for Mordor! lol. There's certainly not many hobbits around here these days.I think the drug-dealers have scared them all away.
I think the idea for hobbits came from Tolkiens love of the english hedgerows,the wild trees and bushes that were commonplace in England until Industry started expanding.Thats the gist of it, rural people have always believed in little people inhabiting the hedgerows,and Tolkien saw industrial cities like Leeds expanding and destroying the wild woods and hedges + the 'little people' who live in them.Hence Mordor vs. hobbits.
Thats one theory,some people think all his work is related to his experinces in WW1,but I don't believe that for an instant.