Church_Cottage,_Tutshill

Church Cottage, Tutshill

Church Cottage, Tutshill

Historic site in Gloucestershire, England

Church Cottage in the village of Tutshill, Gloucestershire, England, is a Grade II listed building, thought to have been designed by the architect Henry Woodyer. It was the childhood home, between the ages of 9 and 18, of Joanne Rowling, author (as J. K. Rowling) of the Harry Potter series of fantasy books.

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Description

The building was constructed in about 1852 in the Victorian Gothic style, and was originally used as a schoolhouse and then a rectory.[1] Henry Woodyer designed the adjoining St. Luke's Church, and English Heritage regard him as "possibly" the designer of the cottage as well. The 1+1⁄2-storey building is of sandstone, with a tiled roof, two-light chamfered mullioned casements, small gablets and a porch. In 1988 it was listed, Grade II, as being of "Special Architectural or Historic Interest" by English Heritage, who reported its external appearance as "untouched from its original design".[2][3][4]

J. K. Rowling

Joanne Rowling, together with her parents and sister, moved to the house in 1974 when she was aged nine. The house was sold by the Rowling family in 1995, and then sold again in 2011.[5][6] The owner, Julian Mercer, said of the house in 2011: "J. K. Rowling would have been here in her formative years and could have taken inspiration from the cottage. The architecture is very Hogwarts-like. It has vaulted ceilings, stone windows and oozes gothic spirit." Features inside the house include an under-stairs cupboard, reportedly similar to the one in which Rowling's character Harry Potter is forced to live, and a trapdoor to a cellar. It also contains an inscription written on one window-frame, "Joanne Rowling slept here circa 1982".[7]

Rowling also drew inspiration from the adjoining church graveyard, and the local countryside.[8] She attended the nearby primary school in Tutshill, before moving on to Wyedean secondary school, and later named one of her fictional Quidditch teams as the "Tutshill Tornados".[1]

Ownership

When the cottage was sold by a subsequent owner in 2012, it was reported that its new owners were associated with the Volant Charitable Trust, a charity established by Rowling to support research into multiple sclerosis and other activities.[9] Further reports in 2020 suggested that the cottage is currently owned by a company run by Rowling's husband, and that she was intending to refurbish the property while retaining its original features.[10]

References

  1. [1]
    Free Press (Monmouthshire), Tutshill home where Harry Potter author JK Rowling grew up goes up for sale, 13 July 2011. Accessed 13 July 2011
  2. [2]
    Historic England. "Church Cottage (Grade II) (1349077)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  3. [3]
    English Heritage, Images of England: Church Cottage. Accessed 13 July 2011
  4. [4]
    Sally Williams, Childhood home which inspired Harry Potter author JK Rowling put on the market, Western Mail, 14 July 2011. Accessed 14 July 2011
  5. [5]
    Free Press (Monmouthshire), Childhood home of JK Rowling in Tutshill is sold, 7 September 2011
  6. [6]
    RightMove: Church Cottage, Tutshill, Chepstow. Accessed 13 July 2011
  7. [7]
    Steven Morris, The ultimate Harry Potter memorabilia: JK Rowling's childhood home is for sale, The Guardian, 13 July 2011. Accessed 13 July 2011
  8. [8]
    Connie Ann Kirk, J.K. Rowling: a biography, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003, pp.29-32
  9. [9]
    Is J K Rowling charity behind home purchase?, Monmouthshire Free Press, 3 October 2012, p.3
  10. [10]
    Janet Hughes, "Harry Potter author JK Rowling renovating the childhood home in Gloucestershire she secretly bought years ago", Gloucestershire Live, 13 April 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020
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