Birmingham somehow resembles the the land of Mordor. In comparison with the predominance of nature in Sarehole, Birmingham is "sooty, cloaked in smoke and noise; an area invaded by heavy industries and houses very close to each other". The dark land of Mordor, realm of the Dark Lord Sauron (the enemy in The Lord of the Rings), seems very similar to this description of Birmingham.

Naer Birmingham there is the industrial Black Country. Again, Tolkien stated that he had based the description of Saruman's industrialization of Isengard and The Shire upon the industrialization of England.