What society did J.R.R. Tolkien and his school friends form at King Edward’s School?

J.R.R. Tolkien and his school friends formed the Tea Club and Barrovian Society at King Edward’s School.

The group, usually abbreviated as the T.C.B.S., developed among Tolkien and fellow pupils at King Edward’s School in Birmingham. Its members shared poetry, literature, discussion, and strong personal friendships. The name referred to their habit of meeting for tea in the school’s Barrow’s Stores.

The society included Tolkien, Christopher Wiseman, Robert Gilson, and Geoffrey Bache Smith. Their friendship continued beyond school, though the First World War brought tragedy: Gilson and Smith were killed in 1916, events that deeply affected Tolkien.

The T.C.B.S. is sometimes confused with the Inklings, the later Oxford literary discussion group associated with Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. The two groups belonged to different periods of Tolkien’s life. The T.C.B.S. was formed during his school years, before his academic career and published fiction.