Welcome to Tolkien Country - Telegraph "If you stand on top of the hills, you can see lots of gently rolling, intimate countryside," he says. There are hedgerows, narrow lanes, ancient cottages. It is quintessentially English - certainly Elgar thought so. The Shire might have had that kind of feel about it. At the same time, parts of the hills can be gloomy and forbidding. "They are pretty commanding, with a Roman encampment, a castle and an Iron Age fort on the top," he says. Because they were quarried to the east by the Victorians they have a sheer look in places - dark, daunting and steep. The region boasts a wealth of properties with a Merrie England feel. Herefordshire is known for its black-and-white fronted cottages built between 1600 and the early 1800s, and its lack of motorway gives it an atmosphere that has not changed much over the decades. Worcester and Gloucestershire tend to have thatched stone cottages with a mellower, Cotswold-style feel, and the transport links to Birmingham, Cheltenham and London makes those areas attractive to commuters. But, Townsend stresses, there remains a bustling community spirit, similar to that of Tolkien's time. "This is safe and sound Middle England," he explains. The prices are a little above average, but there are no soaring prices or horrible recessions. It's very comfortable. Terry Nixon, a retired village police sergeant, and his wife, Linda Clifford, a retired legal secretary, live in North Gloucestershire, in the heart of Tolkien Country. Their Grade II listed thatched cruck cottage - built in 1490, with a central beam made by the Vikings in 990 - is truly a piece of history, and the definition of rural charm. It has extensive wall and ceiling timbers, exposed wattle panelling, and a large inglenook fireplace with a salt store recess. It even boasts a bread oven, with a hanging cooking pot and ladle. It is not difficult to imagine the dwarves bundling through the door and startling poor old Bilbo. "The hobbit-like quaintness really attracted us," says Terry. When you walk in, you enter another world. Shut the door, and everything is left behind. At Christmas, it really comes into its own. You put a tree up, get the fire roaring - classic picture postcard living. The house, however, takes a lot of energy to maintain. Terry and Linda, being retired, feel that a new owner should write the next chapter. It is on the market for £450,000 (johngoodwin.co.uk; 01531 634648). According to Colin Duriez, author of Tolkien: The Making of a Legend, Mordor and the Shire have an especial resonance today. "Tolkien fought in the First World War," he says. Mordor represents the dehumanising effects of industrial technology, both in warfare and on the countryside. These days, there is a trend towards the more old-fashioned lifestyle symbolised by the Shire. Tolkien saw technology as a modern form of magic, and thought it should be used sparingly and well. We have similar concerns today. Tolkien is also known to have taken inspiration from Moseley Bog in Birmingham, and the nearby Sarehole Mill. He lived in the area as a child, and the ancient forests in his books were based on the place. "It is very wild and uncultivated," says Matthew Carlton, director of the local estate agent, Robert Aston. Not something you would expect to stumble across in Birmingham. Flic and Roger Brewster are a retired couple, living in a modern detached property, built in 1971. Theirs is a comfortable family home, with three spacious bedrooms and a large kitchen spanning the width of the house. When you step into the garden, however, there is the touch of magic: a five-bar gate leads into the wilds of Moseley Bog. "The children used to go off and play in the bog for hours," says Flic. They'd come back covered in mud, carrying chunks of trees. Their friends were envious. It was great for imaginary games. We are all fans of Tolkien, and the children may well have gone out there and played hobbits. Now that the children are grown up, however, the couple is downsizing. The house is on the market for £339,950 (robertaston.com; 0121 449 4411). Being aware of Tolkien's books, it seems, creates a sort of feedback loop. The landscape has a magic of its own, but when you know about the Tolkien connection, you become more attuned to it. Now that The Hobbit is being made into a film, the inhabitants of Tolkien Country will find it more evocative than ever. Nearly 40 years after his death, the writer's spirit lives on - not just in his books, but in his countryside.