The Shire England [updated] May 2026

Alternatively, the (primarily in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire) is widely considered the "prettiest" distillation of Shire-like England—a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) with honey-colored stone cottages, sleepy valleys, and ancient woodlands.

While "The Shire" is famously the fictional homeland of the Hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings , the author drew direct and powerful inspiration from the real English countryside. There is no single administrative region called "The Shire" in modern England, but the landscape, culture, and peaceful agrarian life of the West Midlands —particularly around Worcestershire, Warwickshire, and Oxfordshire—formed its living, breathing blueprint. the shire england

In essence, "The Shire" is not a place you can find on a road sign. It is an —the timeless, rural, pre-industrial landscape of simple pleasures, good food, and deep-rooted community. And it still exists, tucked into the river valleys and gentle hills of the English Midlands. There is no single administrative region called "The