Work is underway to restore and renovate the ancient Four Shire Stone which is said to have inspired the Lords of the Rings author, J.R.R. Tolkien.

The 15ft high pillar, about a mile-and-a-half from Moreton-in-Marsh, marked the ancient boundary between Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Worcestershire until a government reorganisation of the county boundaries in 1931. That's when several parishes which were administered by Worcestershire were absorbed into Gloucestershire and four became three.

The Four Shire Stone is built in oolitic limestone - that's the famous honey-coloured Cotswold stone. It's thought to date from at least the late 17th Century though mystery surrounds its exact origins.

J.R.R Tolkien was a frequent visitor to this corner of the Cotswolds and it is said that this waymarker on the road between Oxford and Evesham caught his imagination. Fans of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings will know of the Three Farthing Stone of the Shire.

The stone has had a colourful history and was a well-known meeting point and a venue for prize fights. Some features of the stone reveal that it has not always been well-cared for and had to be rebuilt when a lorry demolished it in 1955.

The failing state of this unique bit of local history saddened James Hayman-Joyce, a semi-retired chartered surveyor, who has lived in nearby Barton on the Heath for 35 years and he decided to act.

Mr Hayman-Joyce said: "I passed the stone on my way into the office in Moreton-in-Marsh every day until I retired. I have become increasingly concerned at its poor state of repair and resolved to do something about it."

He formed the Four Shire Stone Restoration Committee with the aim of raising £20,000 to restore the Four Shire Stone to its former glory. The project comprises restoring and repairing the stonework, replacing the railings and enhancing the engravings on all four sides of the pillar.

Mr Hayman-Joyce added: "We have the permissions we need to complete the work and we hope that the Four Shire Stone will be standing tall and gleaming once again by the end of the year.

"But we also realise that these are difficult and troubled times and the situation in Ukraine is an important pull on all our resources so any contribution to this project would be so gratefully received."

Details of how to donate and more information about the Four Shire Stone are on the website at www.fourshirestone.org.uk