Gone "Tree-ish"

[Snowdog]

Originally Posted by Alassë Estel

I have lately spent much time reading old threads from all over this place, and I find it rather regrettable that I seem to have missed the "golden age" of The Barrow Downs. And this makes me wonder, when exactly did The Downs begin to fade? Also, was it a gradual decline, or was there a certain event/point which caused a sudden fall?

And just to clarify, there is nothing horrible about the current state of The Downs, nor it's active members. I am not complaining, merely curious.

Like most Tolkien/Middle-Earth based sites that sprang up from around 1999 with the first whisperings of movies being made, the hey-day of the Barrow Downs was those first half-dozen years of this century.

Being the Barrow Downs did not feature in the PJ movies, the numbers of people registering, though impressive, wasn't quite as many as places like TORc and TORn. For that very reason, this place always seemed (to me) to have more of a 'bookish' vibe to it.

With the run of movies over and their subsequent DVD releases, interest faded on all the site, but it seemed to me that wasn't so much here on the Barrow Downs. The peak of popularity was lower, but in contrast the valley was shallower.

Many places I had visited have since crumbled into dust leaving not a trace (Ringbearer, Minas Tirith), while others are left abandoned and only ruins remain where spambots infest the dark places (Arwen Undomiel). TORc became a yuppie personality cult requiring paid subscriptions to access it, and a couple others are hanging on with a hand full of members (Council of Elrond, Entmoot... though I think the gates have finally collapsed there as well). Tolkien Forums had a rough run through the last decade, but after a couple ownership changes, Someone who cared to put the work into it took over and they have revitalized.

Barrow Downs ... one thing that is comforting about this place is it is consistent. I come and go through the years, and after 22 years, this is my 601st post.