A trip down memory lane! J.K. Rowling reportedly purchased her childhood home — a place that has provided inspiration for her Harry Potter book series.
The residence, named Church Cottage, is located in Tutshill, Gloucestershire, in England. According to BBC News, the 54-year-old British author purchased the home in September 2011 for about $505,000 through Edinburgh-based company Caernarfon Lettings Ltd, which Rowling’s husband Neil Murray is listed as a director. She is currently working to renovate the property, which she lived in from ages nine to 18.
Rowling’s childhood home is said to have inspired many elements included within the Harry Potter world, such as the cupboard beneath the stairs. In the popular book series, Petunia Dursley made Harry Potter sleep in a similar location when he returned from school.
Meanwhile, the property’s location of Tutshill was mentioned in the series as a name for one of the Quidditch teams. The home features a trapdoor that leads to a cellar, similar to the one in the first novel. Rowling also wrote “Joanne Rowling slept here circa 1982” on the wall by her bedroom window.
Rowling conceptualized the idea for Harry Potter in 1990 while delayed on a train. From there, she plotted out her seven-part book series over the course of five years. She penned the novels by hand on paper.
In 2003, Rowling told CBS News that she was in the “worst straits” while working to write the children’s series. At the time, she was a single mother to daughter Jessica, now 26, and living off of welfare. However, despite facing such obstacles, she was determined to finish what she started.
“I’d walk around Edinburgh pushing her in the pushchair and wait till she fell asleep. And then I would literally run to the nearest cafe and write for as long as she stayed asleep,” she admitted to the outlet, noting that it got turned down by “four or five publishers” before it became a reality.
Today, Rowling’s net worth sits at $92 million, according to Forbes. Meanwhile, the Harry Potter book series also led to a successful film franchise, which saw the likes of Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson become major stars after appearing in eight Blockbuster films.
