Like Tolkien, I grew up in Birmingham and it was a smile-inducing wonder to realize that many of the books’ landmarks were based on the geography of the author’s childhood – that the Shire itself was a representation of his childhood happiness. Sarehole Mill; that the Old Forest where Tom Bombadil lived was reminiscent of the Moseley Bog where the author had his childhood adventures (now maintained as a nature reserve by the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust). that the Towers of Gondor are said to be based on two distinctive structures in Edgbaston: the 100ft Gothic Perrott’s Folly and the Waterworks tower built by John Henry Chamberlain in 1870. and that the haunting Eye of Sauron is said to have been awakened by a memory of the gloomy weeks that Tolkien spent in the university hospital recovering from the “troublesome fever” that struck France in 1916, where the illuminated clock tower he could see from the window kept him awake. Nadine Dorries spent most of last week awkwardly suggesting that the Commonwealth Games could finally put Britain’s second city and the whole of the West Midlands – home to three million – “on the map”. Perhaps the culture secretary should spend a day on Birmingham Museums’ excellent Tolkien trail (and follow it up with a wander through Shakespeare’s Stratford and Dr Johnson’s Lichfield) to get her bearings.
Bird with a brain
Be sure to consider Professor Nicola Clayton’s compensated towers. Photo: Duncan Usher/Alamy Of all the Brexit shortfalls, the one likely to be most keenly felt for decades to come is the UK’s tragic withdrawal from EU science funding, including the £80bn Horizon programme, from which British universities remain excluded and researchers, pending a positive resolution of the Northern Ireland protocol. One department set to close due to the loss of EU funding was Cambridge University’s leading Comparative Cognition Laboratory, which for two decades has been pioneering work in understanding the advanced intelligence of the maiden family, especially birds. Nicola Clayton, who heads the centre, faced the problem in the spring of finding new homes for the 32 hand-reared birds who were her research partners. The centre, which revealed how jays and jays understand time, show empathy and can use tools, has been saved for the foreseeable future thanks to £500,000 in public donations. Since rooks, however, can live for 80 years, plans for the average age of the birds remain unfortunately uncertain.
Don Readies
The Don Revie statue, outside Leeds United’s ground at Elland Road. Let’s hope Liz Truss doesn’t channel him too deeply. Photo: Alex Dodd/CameraSport/Getty Images One of the most surreal moments in the excruciating Tory debate was Liz Truss’s insistence that she would channel the spirit of Don Revie if she became prime minister. Leaving aside the fact that Revie had long since left Leeds United by the time Truss arrived at leafy Roundabout in the north of the city, Don is a dubious role model. Called up for the big job he craved as England manager in 1974, Revie failed to qualify for the European championships and then quit the national team midway through their disastrous World Cup exit to take up a much more lucrative job in the oil. -rich UAE. Perhaps Truss is already envisioning a similar career path.
Tim Adams is a columnist for the Observer Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 300 words to be considered for publication, please email it to us at [email protected]
