- J.K. Rowling recently bought the childhood home she lived in between the ages of nine and 18.
- Rowling left her mark on the home when she lived there, writing "Joanne Rowling slept here, circa 1982" on one of its walls.
- The home in the Forest of Dean inspired multiple elements in the "
Harry Potter " series, most notably the cupboard under the stairs where Harry slept at the Dursleys' home. - Rowling and her husband, Neil Murray, have reportedly commissioned an extensive renovation of the home.
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Like many authors, J.K. Rowling found inspiration in her real life for a myriad of elements in the "Harry Potter" series.
For instance, the titular character was inspired by a neighbor she had when she was young, and Rowling has said that she based the Durselys' Privet Drive house on the home she grew up in during her adolescence.
That inspiration is coming full circle, as Rowling recently purchased her childhood home.
The author bought the Church Cottage that sits in Tutshill, Gloucestershire, England, near the Forest of Dean, where Rowling lived from ages nine to 18.
Rowling even left her mark on the home, writing "Joanne Rowling slept here, circa 1982," on it, according to the Daily Mail.
The home and surrounding area heavily influenced the "Harry Potter" series. The house features a cupboard under the stairs, which gave her the idea for the cupboard in which Harry sleeps at the Dursleys' house, as well as a trap door like the one Fluffy guards in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
Likewise, much of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" takes place in the Forest of Dean, and Rowling even named a Quidditch team the Tutshill Tornados.
The house has become a place of pilgrimage for "Harry Potter" fanatics in recent years, with its previous owner Julian Mercer telling the BBC people often tried to enter the home.
"For years, every time a book or a film came out, there were always members of the public asking to come in to see the house," he told the BBC in 2011. "That's been happening ever since the book came out. But we haven't let them in."
Rowling and her husband plan to renovate the home according to The Telegraph, though it's unclear at this time if they intend to live in the house or make it available to the public for tours or stays.
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