你会花50万美元买下童年的房子吗？如果你是作家J·K·罗琳，然后你小时候的家给了你灵感让你创作出了最著名的小说中的情节的话，那这还确实值得考虑一下。据《每日邮报》报道，其实《哈利·波特》的作者J·K·罗琳现在是自己童年那栋房子的业主—— 位于切普斯托土茲希爾的教堂小屋。这个哥特式小屋在2011年出售，售价40万英镑（499,554美元），罗琳悄悄把它买下了。我们来谈谈教堂小屋的魔力吧。《每日邮报》称，罗琳从9岁起在这儿住到了18岁，她17岁时在墙上写下“乔安·罗琳的住处，1982年”来标记自己的地盘。（他们甚至还有照片！）

If you're author J.K. Rowling, and your childhood home inspired certain parts of what would become one of the most well-known fiction series to ever exist, it's worth considering.

 

As it turns out, Harry¹ Potter author J.K. Rowling owns her childhood home, Church Cottage at Tutshill in Chepstow, according to the The Daily Mail. Rowling had quietly swooped² up the gothic-style cottage when it went on the market back in 2011 for £400,000 ($499,554.00 USD).

Now, the secret is out, as this week, Rowling and her husband commissioned major renovation³ projects for it, after years of no activity. The district council has granted the couple planning permission to install two rear dormer windows and knock down and rebuild the garage.

 

But let's talk about that magic that is Church Cottage already. Rowling lived here from ages nine to 18, marking her territory by scrawling⁴ "Joanne Rowling slept here, circa 1982" on the wall when she was 17, reports The Daily Mail (they even have a photo!).

 

The home includes a cupboard under the stairs (sound familiar?!), which is believed to have been the inspiration for Harry's room at the Dursley family's house.

 

There is also a trap door in the cottage's dining room, similar to the one Fluffy⁵ guards in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Also, the property is near the Forest of Dean, where a chunk⁶ of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows takes place. Rowling also got the name for the Quidditch team Tutshill Tornados⁷ from the name of the house's street, according to Insider.

 

Over the years, some wise fans were able to connect the dots leading to the home, often trying to visit it. "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," Julian Mercer, the home's former owner, told BBC back in 2011. "That's been happening ever since the book came out. But we haven't let them in."

 

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