A POOLE bungalow that world- famous author JRR Tolkien retired to until his wife's death in 1972 is on the market for £1 million.

Tolkein is best known for his books The Hobbit and later the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which were based on imaginative tales of elves, dwarves and wizards in the fictional world of Middle Earth.

His popularity soared when director Peter Jackson adapted the Lord of the Rings books into three blockbuster movies that brought to life the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and attracted a generation of new fans.

The author lived in the three-bedroom house in Lakeside Road, Branksome Park, which backs on to Branksome Chine, from 1968, but moved back to Oxford when his wife Edith died.

Although no real evidence of his ownership remains, the beams which formed part of his study are still visible.

The current owner, who bought the house from Tolkien, told estate agent Goadsby that although Tolkien decided to sell up he continued to spend a great deal of time in the area and often stayed at the Miramar Hotel.

Richard Farnes, manager of Goadsby's Canford Cliffs office, said: "It really is quite awe- inspiring to think that Tolkien once lived here and we would anticipate a high degree of interest being shown by his fans."

Tolkien retired in 1959 and increasingly became a figure of public attention and literary fame to such an extent he had to take his telephone number out of the directory.