The everyday blog of Richard Bartle.
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8:58am on Monday, 2nd November, 2026:
Weird
The Doors of Durin, also known as the Elven Door, the West Door, the West Gate and the Hollin Gate, were forged during the Second Age by the dwarven smith Narvi, with writing on them courtesy of the elven lord Celebrimbor. They were the western entrance to the dwarven city of Khazad-dûm, or Moria to the elves.
The north door of St Edward's Church in Stow-on-the-Wold is flanked by two yew trees three centuries old. Without any concrete evidence beyond the fact that J. R. R. Tolkien lived in nearby Oxford and occasionally visited Stow-on-the-Wold, it is claimed that these doors were the inspiration for the Doors of Durin. They do bear some resemblance to his drawing of the Doors, so you can see why people made the association.
Here's a photo of them I took when we visited Stow-on-the-Wold last month:

It's at a poor angle because there were queues of people waiting to have their picture taken standing in front of the door, and I had little time between them for a clear shot.
They do look good, anyway, regardless of any connection with Tolkien.
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Copyright © 2026 Richard Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk).