Voices from the Shire

If, like me, you think that Dorset inspired Tolkien's vision of the Shire in his Middle-earth, then you may be interested to listen to "Fowles in Dorset" broadcast by the BBC.

If you follow this link, you can listen again, at least for the current week. The programme contains recordings from 1978 of the oldest residents of Lyme Regis who would have spoken with accents familiar to Tolkien when he was writing his famous works of fantasy.