Kinver Edge and the Rock Houses - The original Hobbit Holes

 “In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit.”

High sandstone ridge and hill fort overlooking dramatic red sandstone rock houses

Holy Austin Rock with several of the rock houses visible. The well on the terrace provided convenient water for the residents.

 Inside the restored Rock Houses you can soak up the atmosphere of these unusual homes with crackling fires, objects to play with, and hear anecdotes of the families that lived here until as recently as the 1960’s. You might even spot one of the lesser horseshoe bats that now call these caves home, roosting here throughout the winter months and sometimes hanging from the Rock House ceilings. The houses are fascinating for their unusual construction, and from the exposed rock of the empty houses you will be able to see how they are carved straight into the richly coloured sandstone, along with some historic graffiti!

More information ;

 [https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kinver-edge-and-the-rock-houses]

[ http://britainexplorer.com/listing/kinver-edge-rock-houses-the-original-hobbit-holes/]

 

 Within months Tolkien had become one of the most famous Briton’s in history. Although filmed almost exclusively in New Zealand, the original inspirations for Tolkien’s Middle Earth are mostly located in the English shires of Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

 The Hobbit truly began in 1930 when Tolkien apparently discovered a blank page while marking exam papers at Pembroke College, Oxford, and wrote the first line of the book.

 Kinver Edge in South Staffordshire and its historic rock houses (Hobbit holes) are the most likely source for this inspiration. This is very plausible as during his youth Tolkien lived in nearby Birmingham and often pined for the countryside. At the time Kinver was a popular day out from the dirty and smoky city.

 Healey could easily be describing Hobbits and their pride in their hobbit holes. In fact, the opening line of Tolkien’s book states; He adds; “The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats – the hobbit was fond of visitors.”

 

 

 Furnished interior of a Kinver Edge Rock House (Said to be warm in winter and cool in summer)

 

Kinver Edge Hobbit Hole

To the southwest of the village of Kinver are the lofty cliffs known as The Edge. A key feature of this formation is a huge outcrop known as Holy Austin Rock where enterprising people once made their homes by tunneling into the sandstone to create comfortable and weatherproof rooms.

Exactly who carved out the first holes remains a mystery. There is no physical evidence to suggest that they were prehistoric although the existence of any early caves would have been destroyed by later excavations. It is worth mentioning that an early iron age hill fort is located only 150 metres further along the same ridge and dates back to at least 200 BC. Historians believe it was occupied by the Romans around 60 AD and became a camp where soldiers could rest while travelling to and from Wales. Kinver was once also known as Cynibre meaning Royal Hill. A charter from 740 AD makes mention of the village which therefore predates King Offa of the Mercians. The Royal part of the name may refer to Eanberht, one of the last kings of the Anglo-Saxon Hwicce (Wiccia) nation.

 Similar rock-cut chambers exist at both Bridgnorth and Nesscliffe Hill in the neighbouring county of Shropshire. Both are sited in sandstone cliffs in dense wooded areas and historical accounts acknowledge their existence as early as 790 AD and 1490 AD respectively. Given the age of these and other nearby examples it is likely that the original Kinver Edge caves were cut as early as 700 AD and probably had a religious significance . The examples at nearby Bridgnorth are called The Hermitage and were known as a sacred place, the sandstone escarpment into which the Kinver Edge houses were cut is called Holy Austin Rock, although there is no record of precisely why. Many of the rock-cut caves in this area have origins that appear to date back to the arrival of Christianity in England around 600 AD to 700 AD.

 The Holy Austin Rock Houses as they were after the site was abandoned and deserted.

 Given that the area was used as a royal hunting reserve from around 1080 AD, it likely that the King’s foresters (rangers) would have used the natural highpoints of Kinver Edge and Holy Austin Rock as a lookout to watch for poachers and other outlaws. It also seems likely that they would have used and maybe even enlarged any caves in the immediate area for their own comfort. As with much of Britains local history the actual origins may never really be known.