Sir Ian McKellen is campaigning to buy the house where JRR Tolkien once lived.

Sir Ian, who played Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films, and Martin Freeman, who played The Hobbit, called on fans to “fellowship” to raise more than ৪ 4 million for the house.

Project Northmore, founded by author Julia Golding, makes the purchase of the house and the restoration of buildings and gardens, apt to “welcome Tolkien enthusiasts around the world”.

The crowdfunding campaign is also supported by Annie Lennox, who wrote and starred in a song by actor John Rice-Davis, Return of the King, Middle Earth painter John Ha, and Dwarf Gimley in the films.

In a tweet, Sir Ian said: “We cannot achieve this without the support of the global community of Tolkien fans, without the cooperation of our financiers.”

He added: “We will only succeed if we all do it together as a fellowship.”

Those behind the project say there is currently no center dedicated to Tolkien anywhere in the world.

“Our vision is not to have Tolkien’s home as a dry museum, but a house of constant creativity that will inspire a new generation of writers, artists and filmmakers.

“Homes will have an interesting online presence to bring to the home program for those who can’t travel to Oxford but buying it before anyone else does is a struggle of our time.”

The charity website says that according to local planning rules the house must remain as residential property, so residential courses are being offered for a limited number instead of museums for all visitors.

The six-bedroom house is on Northmore Road in Oxford and has remained largely unchanged since its construction in 1924. Tolkien lived there from 1930 to 1947, the important year in which he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The home last sold for more than 1.5 1.5 million in 2004 and has a second-grade status.