Abstract
One central scene in The Hobbit – in which Bilbo Baggins finds the One Ring – takes place in a large subterranean cavern featuring a small island set within a body of water and reachable by boat. While this fictional location bears little resemblance to the caves of Cheddar Gorge, it closely parallels a series of caverns at Wookey Hole, located seven miles by road from Cheddar Gorge, that were opened up as public show caves in 1927. Now designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Wookey Hole was already well-known in the 1920s for its unique geology, ancient human artifacts, and persistent legends of mysterious occupants, including an infamous witch. While there is no evidence that Tolkien himself visited the site, Wookey Hole was arguably as famous as Cheddar Gorge by 1930 (and had been widely known for centuries before before).
The argument presented here is summarized as follows: Similar to Tolkien’s admitted use of Cheddar Caves as a basis for the Glittering Caves of Aglarond, it is posited that Gollum’s cave in The Hobbit closely echoes aspects of the Wookey Hole caves, especially the first main cavern.
Recommended Citation
Larsen, Kristine
(2025)
""Deep Down Here by the Dark Water Lived Old Gollum": The 1927 Public Opening of the Wookey Hole Show Caves and 'The Hobbit',"
Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 23:
Iss.
2, Article 1.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol23/iss2/1
Comments
An abridged version of this paper was presented at the Northeastern Section Meeting of the Geological Society of America on March 22, 2026.