A house in central Oxford that once belonged to author JRR Tolkien has sold for more than £50,000 over the asking price -- despite having no kitchen or central heating.

The Georgian townhouse at 50 St John Street attracted a huge amount of interest from buyers because of its literary connections.

But in the end, it was bought by a young man with no interest in its bookish history.

Tolkien, who wrote Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, lived in the Grade II listed building in 1918.

The seven-bedroom house, the interior of which is pictured, was advertised for sale at £695,000. It lacks a kitchen because it was gutted to allow renovation.

James Penny, of estate agent James C Penny, conceded the property needed £200,000 spending on it and restoration work could take a year.

He said the Tolkien Society had shown a keen interest but could not raise sufficient funds.

He said: "They were trying to come up with an offer and other Tolkien nuts were also trying for it.

"It went to bids and the price went up and up."

Mr Penny was unwilling to divulge much about the buyer, except to say that he was wealthy, single, in his 20s or 30s, with plans to renovate the house for residential purposes.