At which Oxford college was J.R.R. Tolkien a professor and fellow from 1925?

J.R.R. Tolkien was a professor and fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1925.

In 1925, Tolkien became Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University and held his fellowship at Pembroke College. He remained at Pembroke until 1945, when he moved to Merton College after becoming Merton Professor of English Language and Literature.

His Pembroke years were especially important for his developing literary mythology. He wrote much of The Hobbit during this period and began the work that became The Lord of the Rings. His academic duties also included teaching and research in Old English and related linguistic subjects.

Tolkien’s Oxford career is sometimes simplified by saying that he was simply a professor at Oxford. The college affiliation matters because Oxford professors can hold fellowships at particular colleges, and Tolkien’s appointments changed over time. Pembroke identifies the first major college stage of his Oxford academic life.