![Peter Jackson On The Set Of The Hobbit Peter Jackson On The Set Of The Hobbit](https://i0.wp.com/www.geeksofdoom.com/GoD/img/2015/07/peter-jackson-the-hobbit-bag-end.jpg?resize=530%2C283&ssl=1)
What happens when a geek finds themselves abundantly wealthy? They purchase massive homes and add lots and lots of amazing stuff to them. We’ve seen it with Guillermo del Toro’s Bleak House, and now we have another example with The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies director Peter Jackson‘s 1930s mansion in New Zealand.
Jackson has had all sorts of cool stuff built to make his home unique, but perhaps most notably is the addition of an exact replica of Bilbo Baggins’ Hobbit house, Bag End. And better yet, Jackson had it built underground, behind secret doors.
Continue reading for details.
Artist Bino Smith worked with Jackson on the Rings trilogy and King Kong as a set finisher, and Jackson hired him and others to help recreate Bag End in a hill (of course) on his property.
Smith discussed what they built, saying:
“His eye for detail, was such that we had to build it right down to the feather, so everything is exactly the same as the movie – but it’s liveable.
There’s nothing like it in this world. People can stay there.”
But you don’t just enter this Bag End reproduction through a little circular door in a hill, there’s also a way to get to it through Jackson’s house, and that part is also awesome:
“Bag End is underground. You have to go under tunnels to get to it.
You got the house, then you go down to the wine cellar and you pull a bottle, and it opens up a door, then you step out a look down this corridor – about 35 metres, we had to create it, then you go down one part, then there’s a skeleton and some bodies, then you come out to a mock ‘torture chamber’, then you pull a book in a bookcase and the bookcase opens, and you walk into Bag End.”
If you’re a little weirded out by the skeletons and bodies and torture chamber, don’t forget that before Jackson jumped into big budget blockbusters, he was making horror favorites like Dead Alive (or Braindead) and The Frighteners.
And if you do walk out of the Hobbit house’s front door, what do you see? Through “the grass and through the trees castle ruins can be seen.”
The director’s house is even a popular hang out spot for some of his famous friends:
“It’s a playground. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are over here all the time. Danny DeVito is one of his best mates. And it’s just for them. And they got the shelterbelt and everything.”
Jackson wants to add plenty more to his crazy living space, as well. He plans to build an airport, where he’ll house his collection of World War I planes, and a train track.
While most of us can’t help but be a little jealous of this awesomeness, it’s nice to know that Jackson, who spent so much time bringing Middle-earth to life, can pay a little visit there whenever he’s hit with a bit of nostalgia.
Now we just need someone to do a video tour with Mr. Jackson soon so we can at least see what this all looks like!
[Source: Stuff]
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