The Hobbiton tour factfile
In September 1998, Sir Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema stumbled upon the Alexander's 1,250-acre sheep and beef farm during an aerial search for suitable film sites. Construction began in March 1999. When the movie set was rebuilt for 'The Hobbit' Trilogy in 2009, these structures were built out of permanent materials including an artificial tree which was made out of steel and silicon. The process took two years. Filming for 'The Lord of The Rings' Trilogy began in December 1999 and continued for three months while shooting for 'The Hobbit' Trilogy began in October 2011 and took only 12 days.