J.K. Rowling has bought a house in the small village of Tutshill in southwest England, however, it’s not just any house, it’s her childhood home — the one which helped inspire various elements of much-beloved Harry Potter franchise.
Though this information may be new to some of her fans, the world-renowned novelist actually bought the property, called “Church Cottage,” nine years ago, under her husband’s name (Neil Murray), according to the BBC.
That’s right, by using her married name, the author quietly purchased the quaint and gothic home back in 2011 after it was put on the housing market by the man who originally purchased it from the Rowling family back in 1995.
Between the ages of nine and 18, the 54-year-old author resided in the Gloucestershire county home with her parents, Anne and Peter, and her sister Dianne, before she moved away to Paris, France, for post-secondary education.
The news came to light on Tuesday after a local U.K. tabloid, Gloucestershire Live, reported that Rowling is now renovating her secret Forest of Dean district home — which is considered a historic building in England.
Before even making a name for herself with Harry Potter — one of the best-selling fantasy novel series of all time — Rowling left her mark on the property by writing “Joanne Rowling slept here circa 1982” on one of its walls, as reported by the BBC.
Much like in the Harry Potter books, Church Cottage has a small cupboard under its staircase, which seemingly inspired the titular character’s dingy bedroom while he resided with his cruel Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.
The house also contains a “trap door” to a cellar which is reminiscent of the one that three-headed dog Fluffy covers in the first Harry Potter installment, The Philospher’s Stone (or The Sorcerer’s Stone), according to Gloucestershire Live.
As well as that, Rowling subtly named one of the Quidditch teams in the series after the small village in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix “the Tutshill Tornadoes.”
The Church Cottage property was purchased from BBC producer Julian Mercer for £400,000 — which at the time, equated to about US$505,000 according to Forbes.
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