Hobbit Architecture - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Zoe · 03-19-2001, 02:14 AM

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shade of Carn Dûm
Posts: 293</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
Re: Hobbit Architecture (Specifically Bag End)

It seems the door did have a keyhole in the side. To quote J R R Tolkien, artist and illustrator:
<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Tolkien himself was not happy with it [ The Hall at Bag End]: he confessed to Allen & Unwin that he had misguidedly put a shadow in was behind the door, which in the line-engraving became all black and obscured a key in the lock.<hr></blockquote>
Indeed, if you look carefully at the picture in that book (p 146) you can just make out what could be a key in the lock, and it appears to be near the edge of the door. However, there doesn't seem to be a keyhole anywhere. (Although, the most obvious fault with that picture is the fact that, judging from the perspective, Bilbo would have to stand on a chair to open the door.)

As for the five rooms with windows:
Based on the text in The Hobbit, if 5 rooms have windows, there couldn't be more than 6 without (alternating without-with-without etc), which would make 11 rooms in total. But there must certainly be more than 11 rooms in a hobbit hole as luxurious as Bag End - even just 2 bedrooms, 1 cellar, 1 kitchen, 3 pantries ("many" would imply more, though, I think), 3 wardrobes (ditto), 1 bathroom and a study would be 12, and that's not counting sitting rooms and extra kitchens/bathrooms etc. How does this work?

Baths:
If we assume no running water, a bath could be made by boiling water over a fire and then pouring into a tub. (This works better if you have a servant to pour the water for you, obviously.)

Toilet:
Outhouses seem to be a reasonable assumption - though I can't see any on The Hill: Hobbiton-across-the-water, they could always be on the other side of the hill.

</p>

03-19-2001, 02:14 AM	#9
Zoe Wight Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 223	<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shade of Carn Dûm Posts: 293</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE> Re: Hobbit Architecture (Specifically Bag End) It seems the door did have a keyhole in the side. To quote J R R Tolkien, artist and illustrator: <blockquote>*Quote:<hr> Tolkien himself was not happy with it [ The Hall at Bag End]: he confessed to Allen & Unwin that he had misguidedly put a shadow in was behind the door, which in the line-engraving became all black and obscured a key in the lock.<hr></blockquote> Indeed, if you look carefully at the picture in that book (p 146) you can just make out what could be a key in the lock, and it appears to be near the edge of the door. However, there doesn't seem to be a keyhole anywhere. (Although, the most obvious fault with that picture is the fact that, judging from the perspective, Bilbo would have to stand on a chair to open the door.) As for the five rooms with windows: Based on the text in The Hobbit, if 5 rooms have windows, there couldn't be more than 6 without (alternating without-with-without etc), which would make 11 rooms in total. But there must certainly be more than 11 rooms in a hobbit hole as luxurious as Bag End - even just 2 bedrooms, 1 cellar, 1 kitchen, 3 pantries ("many" would imply more, though, I think), 3 wardrobes (ditto), 1 bathroom and a study would be 12, and that's not counting sitting rooms and extra kitchens/bathrooms etc. How does this work? Baths: If we assume no running water, a bath could be made by boiling water over a fire and then pouring into a tub. (This works better if you have a servant to pour the water for you, obviously.) Toilet: Outhouses seem to be a reasonable assumption - though I can't see any on The Hill: Hobbiton-across-the-water*, they could always be on the other side of the hill. </p>