India, April 16 -- What connection could Lord of the Rings possibly have with the industrial city of Birmingham? Turns out JRR Tolkien spent a part of his childhood in Britain's "second city", which grew on the back of advances during the Industrial Revolution and was hailed as "the first manufacturing town in the world".

Born John Ronald Reuel Tolkien in 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Tolkien accompanied his mother and younger brother to England, at age 3, to visit her family. His father died while they were away and the Tolkien family never returned to South Africa. They chose instead to settle in a small village, Sarehole in North Worcestershire (now a part of Birmingham).

Tolkien grew up to become one of the best-known authors ...