Sauron's Tower Sells For £1

[Karloff]

Sauron's Tower Sells For £1

A charity for the homeless is the proud owner of one of Tolkien's tottering twin towers.

It's a crumbling Grade II historical site built in 1758, with no bedrooms, and the new owner's a charity for the homeless; not what you'd call an easy match. However the charity's boss is a Tolkien fanatic, and the tower in question is Perrott's Folly, one of the two Birmingham landmarks - along with Edgbaston Waterworks - said to be the inspiration for the Twin Towers of Lord of the Rings. So, in the end, £1 wasn't too much to pay, even though the restoration is likely to be a nightmare.

Back in 2003 Perrott's Folly was listed as 'at risk [http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/your_birmingham/restoration/buildings_at_risk.shtml]', due to structural cracking that threatened to level it. The tower's passed through several charitable hands since Birmingham University parted with it back in the 1970s, but none of them really had the cash to do anything with it. Its current owner, Trident Reach the People, is a charity that provides housing for the homeless, and it's looking for £1 million to restore the Folly. An Artist in Residence, Lizzy Jordan, has already been installed, with a view to organizing community art projects to raise restoration cash. The intent is to eventually be able to open it to the public.

Nobody knows why John Perrott built this evocative Folly. It might have been for the views, or to look out over at his wife's grave. There could even be a Masonic connection; hidden chambers and tunnels are rumored to exist beneath it. Since Perrott's time, the tower has been used as a meteorological station and astronomical observatory, before being more or less left to its own devices in 1979. In Tolkien's day - he lived nearby, and would have passed it every day on the way to school - it would have been owned by the Birmingham and Midland Institute of science and technology.

Should you wish to donate some restoration funds, take a look over here. [http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayEventDetails.action?eventId=14184&charityId=1004557&invocation=evt0050] The fella you want to speak to is Ben Bradley, who has also - brave man - more than once given in to pleas from Tolkien fans begging to see Perrott's Folly. Bear in mind, should you wish to do the same, it is seven stories tall, with 139 steps, and he only has Saturdays free.

Source: Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/29/tower-inspired-tolkien-bought]


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[SonicWaffle]

So, in the end, £1 wasn't too much to pay, even though the restoration is likely to be a nightmare.

Nah, orc labour is pretty cheap. He'll just raise an army to get it cleared right up.

 

[Krantos]

But the foundations were created with the power of the ring. With the ring destroyed, it can never be repaired. Unless....

*Gasp*

He's created a new ring. Raise the alarm! Mordor will rise again!

 

[JSoup]

He could probably give tours of the place and make a pretty penny. I know I wouldn't mind seeing it in person, but then I like architecture.

 

[The_Darkness]

But the foundations were created with the power of the ring. With the ring destroyed, it can never be repaired. Unless....

*Gasp*

He's created a new ring. Raise the alarm! Mordor will rise again!

Hmm... Sauron leading Mordor from Birmingham against the British army. I'd pay money to see that.

Needless to say, we Brits would win. But then a series of events would involve MI6 claiming the One Ring for study, it getting dropped in the Thames, and many years later being recovered by an orphaned child in London, who proceeds to have much fun abusing the ability to turn invisible whilst at school. This would include a spin-off/prequel tale of him helping a bunch of friends reclaim their lost inheritance from the Crown Court. Meanwhile a Professor 'Grey' from Cambridge will have been tracking the One Ring, under fears that Sauron is about to return, but is in competition with a Professor 'White' from Oxford. Oh, and this probably where the Royal Family gets involved somehow...

And then we realise that there isn't actually a volcano in Birmingham, so destroying the One Ring just became a lot more complicated... Unless... Is there a Nuclear Reactor anywhere near there?

 

[Elate]

For £1 I would have bought it... Hell I wouldn't mind owning an awesome tower, even if it is falling apart.

 

[Quaxar]

Head of a homeless brigade and now owner of a tower? This guy is only one investment in armour plates and axes away from becoming the next Saruman!

 

[dmase]

Even if they fix it that seems like a giant death trap in case of a fire. There has got to be laws against having groups of people stay in building with only exits at the bottom of a tower.