A TOLKIEN fan has completed his 10-year quest of turning a garden building into a shrine to his Lord of the Rings heroes.

Former global IT portfolio manager John Simpson has lovingly created his own version of Hobbiton’s Green Dragon Inn in his one-acre garden in the shires near Chester.

Complete with Gandalf swords, life-size hobbits and Wandering Wizard Wheat Ale on tap, this homage to Tolkien's trilogy is a work of art in itself. 

The detail and time that 57-year-old retiree has put into kitting-out his own version of Middle-Earth has raised a few eyebrows in his neighbourhood, but the attention has not made him feel at all ‘Orc-ward’.

In fact, as he’s even built an elven-style bridge that leads to his timber-built haven, adorned with its Green Dragon Inn sign to signal the pub is ‘open for business’.

Inside is a central open fire that doubles as a barbecue, and numerous reminders of J.R.R. Tolkien’s seminal work.

(Image: Poppy PR)

John said his love affair with Lord of the Rings began when he first read the epic Tolkien novels as a youth, but it was later fuelled by his son’s obsession with the Peter Jackson-directed films.

“He was fanatical,” said John. “It was partly down to my own love affair with the novels but also because the films were so amazing. I’m extremely proud of it, regardless of whether some people might think I’m a little old for this sort of thing. But it’s my precious!”

The father and son’s obsession took a new direction when John’s first wife was diagnosed with a rare cancer at the age of 47. Sadly, her time from diagnosis to passing was short, and she made John promise to take their son Paul to New Zealand to see where much of the filming for the movie was undertaken. Paul was just 15 at the time. 

During the three-week trip, the pair visited Hobbiton, where ‘The Green Dragon’ pub is a functioning themed pub dedicated to the Shire’s fictional watering hole.

(Image: Poppy PR)  

John, who is originally from Liverpool, said: “As I looked around, I thought just how cool it would be to have a pub like this in my own back garden. It’s an epic fantasy so there is a whole wealth of material you could use for decoration. It would be the ultimate man-cave.”

Now, 10 years later, that is exactly what John has created.

“It is straight out of Middle Earth,” he said. 

His idea began to take shape after he saw a ‘hobbit-house’ at a garden centre.

He said: “That particular cabin wasn’t practical as the ceiling was too low, but it sparked the idea and he looked further afield.  

“Then I saw these buildings from a Nottingham company called Arctic Cabins - and the design was ideal. The ceiling height was just right, the space was perfect for everything I wanted to achieve and, when I researched the company, Arctic Cabins had great reviews on Trustpilot and a great reputation. 

“I spoke with Simon Lees, the salesperson, who was absolutely brilliant and understood everything I wanted from the building. I put in place a series of demands and he met them all.”

John met Simon in October last year, and one of his requests was that the hobbit-themed cabin be ready to move into before Christmas.

He said: “The cabin took under seven days to install, start to finish, and was completed by 15 December, which included the foundations and base, building the actual bar cabin and fitting the solid wood bar area.

“The speed, workmanship and the team as a whole blew me away. It was brilliant sales, execution and delivery. My quest was a success!” 

With The Green Dragon Inn well on the way to completion, John got to work on the interior. The bar and open fire had been fitted as part of the build process, and he enlisted his dad to install the floor tiling over Christmas while he concentrated on the decoration.

It was ready for a small New Year’s Eve party, which not only celebrated the New Year but also John’s dream. 

There are themed beer mats on the bar, themed wall rugs, aesthetic bar pumps with fisheye ale labels declaring beers including Wandering Wizard Wheat Ale and Golden Hall Pilsner, as well as draft beer dispensers and a cask.  

There’s treasure chest optics, a whiskey barrel cupboard that conceals John’s single malts, and even a life size Gandalf originally stood behind the bar

“I had to move him,” John joked. “He kept helping himself!”

Perhaps a little off-theme but nevertheless welcome additions to the pub are a karaoke machine, three arcade machines, a 60-inch wall-mounted TV and a full-size, slate-based pool table. With rope lighting and a set of pool lights over the table, the retreat was finished – almost. 

 “When I retired from work, the team bought me some amazing replica Lord of the Rings swords, which now adorn the bar, and I’ve some custom-made Middle-earth lamps,” said John.

“I’m proud of everything I've done,” he said, adding: “My mum and my friends say it's amazing, my son, now 26, thinks I’m nuts, and my dad thinks it’s a bit over the top.  

“It doesn’t look like a cabin. It looks like a pub. It’s my pride and joy and I saw first-hand that it was Arctic Cabins’ team’s pride and joy too. Nothing was too much trouble. I would certainly recommend them.”

 For more information on Arctic Cabins and Cabin Master, visit: Arctic Cabins BBQ Huts The Perfect Garden Escape.