The people who own the family home that Harry Potter famously lived in have spoken about the constant attention from fans. With the series of films having recently been added to Netflix interest in them has risen greatly.
The house in Bracknell, Berkshire, was used as the Dursley’s fictional home in Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It was then recreated in a film studio to make it easier for filming, in the Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows films.
As such it has got a place in the hearts of many Harry Potter superfans - and this has had quite an impact on the people who live there. The current owners bought the home in 2016 and since then have had a constant stream of adults and children coming to see it - some clad in Hogwarts’ black robes to recreate scenes outside.
They told the Sun fans are outside “all day, every day” and one person even brought their Ford Anglia to take its photo outside the iconic home. They said: “We’ve had people in floods of tears. It’s bizarre. The kids, you get it. But obviously the adults. They dress up sometimes in full gear and recreate scenes.
“People have travelled miles. From all over the world. People are sometimes really awkward. We are used to it, but not used to it in a way. Ten is the maximum we’ve had but people come in groups. People come in cars and it’s all day and sometimes at night. The school holidays are the worst.”
According to the books the neighbourhood consisted of a number of boring, boxy houses with gardens at the front and back. The Dursleys lived on this street, in Number Four. The type of people who live here seem to be rich, snobbish and extremely nosy and Harry Potter once noted that they were the type who thought “scruffiness ought to be punishable by law”.
Last month publisher Bloomsbury said Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone remained the third bestselling children’s book of the year, 26 years after it was first published, showing the “enduring appeal of the classic series”, the company said.
Furthermore, a decade-long Harry Potter television series with streaming platform HBO Max is in the works, with each season dedicated to one of the seven books.
