The High Garden and Architecture of Tolkien's Rivendell

First, I'd love you just to spend a moment imagining yourself in this mountain spa of Frodo's healing, this living library of elven lore, this homely house of welcome to all Good People. Imagine the sound of the falls mingling with the silver harp which means so much to Elrond that he takes it with him to Valinor. If you've been in an alpine setting at sunset, you know this glow on the rocks, the grass, the flowers and on any surface, be it stone, wood, glass. Even a plain color like white is suddenly like pastel rose petals, filled with soft suggestions of many hues. Imagine awakening from illness and peril in this haven, and being led through the high garden by Sam Gamgee, to the East Porch, where Merry, Pippin, and dear Gandalf rejoice at your coming.

Professor Tolkien's settings and storytelling sweep one away into the very best of places Middle-earth has to offer. If I could visit just one place beyond the Shire, it would be Imladris. He makes it so inviting, so high, so idyllic.

In trying to see Rivendell's high garden, which is mentioned briefly but evocatively in "Many Meetings" in The Fellowship of The Ring, I wanted to make my very best effort to piece together the accurate orientation of the dwellings from Tolkien's drawings, paintings, writings, and maps. I owe a debt of gratitude to multiple people within the Tolkien community for puzzling with me over some particularly vague details. For example, if the sun is setting in this scene, what is its orientation to the gorge in which the River Bruinen runs? Which of the two rivers does the Professor depict across all his art? What is the relationship of the East Porch on which the Council of Elrond takes place to these rivers? I had many interesting chats with lovers of the lore that were filled with questions from me like these:

Little by little, I was able to piece together a narrative that helped me understand, to the best of my ability, the position of the gorge, the mountains and the East Porch. In case it is of interest, here is my solution:

I believe that when we see the following view, we are looking at the west side of the main house, meaning that the East Porch is definitely not the one pictured here but would be on the back side of this edifice:

This, then, left the question of how the East Porch can overlook the river, as it is said to do. Given that, to my eyes at least, there is a second building behind the main building at Rivendell, I concluded that 1) the high garden was terraced to open up the view to the river, below, and 2) that you could see the river better from the near side of the porch than the far side. All of this is open to individual interpretation, of course, but I hoped to show the fruits of my own research in the new garden view.

As for what Elrond might have in his garden, I supposed he might have alpine herbs, and perhaps some particularly beautiful trees, like the birch I depicted. I enjoyed looking at the flora of Switzerland, including discovering that there is a public Ricola garden filled with useful, medicinal plants. The garden stones in the river sand terrace below the lawns echo the mountains and are my nod to the Icelandic lore Professor Tolkien enjoyed in which elves are often believed to inhabit rocks. I have also included some spires in the woods beyond, to pay homage to the fact that Rivendell once housed an army of elves in the years preceding The Last Alliance. I am sure there would be beautiful libraries, comfortable rooms, further dining halls, and many other beautiful chambers in them.

Bilbo's room is the corner room next to the porch in the new painting.

The dining room in which Elrond receives Bilbo, Gandalf and Thorin and Company I have placed in the stone base of the smaller of the two towers. I do not believe this to be the same dining room as the very large one that Frodo and company visit, as Bilbo's first dinner with Elrond sounds quite intimate, at least in my reading. I imagine the Hall of Fire to be in the windowless portion of the large, square tower. Perhaps I will get to paint that one day.

Elves are out on the balconies in this new scene, enjoying the procession of colors created by the setting sun. I have something in common with Niggle in that I am always trying to accurately pinpoint the sun in any scene I paint, and was so happy to be able to settle that question for myself with this piece. And, if you look closely at the figure on horseback coming through the garden arch, you might recognize this figure of awe:

When you think of who is present at Rivendell, and the millennia of wisdom housed there in its inhabitants, it inspires feelings of wonder. We only get to visit the place a few times throughout the legendarium, and usually there is so much going on that we have little time to sit in the garden and enjoy the peace of this refuge. I hoped to give space for that kind of quiet contemplation with my painting, once I had satisfied myself about its geographic disposition. Would it not be unforgettable to hear the music of the elves and the music of the water? I hope this video short might provide a moment of rest for you.