23/09/2026
This Monday, Westminster Abbey announced a major new memorial to J.R.R. Tolkien in Poets’ Corner, where he will be commemorated alongside his friend and fellow writer, C.S. Lewis.
The memorial, created by artist Stephen Broadbent, originated with Lord Alton, Chairman of the Christian Heritage Centre (CHC), and has been generously supported and funded by the Tolkien Estate.
We are especially proud of the role that the School of Divinity has played in bringing this project forward. The School congratulates Dr Rebekah Lamb-Varela, who served on the steering committee responsible for developing the memorial's concept design in collaboration with Broadbent and for facilitating consultation with Tolkien scholars (including Dr Brendan Wolfe and Professor Judith Wolfe) as well as representatives of Westminster Abbey.
Chaired by Professor Giuseppe Pezzini (Oxford), the committee included Anton’ de Piro, a Trustee of the Christian Heritage Centre, and Dr Lamb-Varela, who is also a trustee of the CHC.
Working closely with Broadbent, the committee and other consultants helped shape the memorial design centred on Tolkien’s Tree of Amalion, the Tree of Tales.
The memorial is due to be unveiled in Spring 2027, a particularly fitting moment in Tolkien’s literary history, marking 90 years since the publication of The Hobbit and 50 years since The Silmarillion.
We are delighted to see this collaborative project reach this important stage, and proud that St Andrews has contributed to a work that will celebrate Tolkien’s extraordinary literary legacy.
More news will follow in due course. Meantime, find the Westminster Abbey press release below:
A major new memorial celebrating Tolkien’s creative vision and storytelling by artist Stephen Broadbent will be revealed at a dedication ceremony in Spring 2027.
