JK Rowling's Childhood House Sold To Unidentified Buyer
One buyer has purchased what some might call the pinnacle of Harry Potter-inspired memorabilia: JK Rowling's childhood home.
The "Church Cottage" in the town of Tutshill near Chepstow, England, has reportedly been sold to an unidentified buyer, according to the South Wales Argus.
The house was first listed for sale in July for about £400,000 ($640,000).
And it's rumored the buyer is a big fan of Rowling's work, The Daily Mail reports.
The famed author lived in the house from age 9 through 18, and she even scribbled a message on a bedroom window when she was 17. The etch states, "Joanne Rowling slept here circa 1982."
The house was previously owned by Julian Mercer, a BBC producer, who bought it from the Rowlings shortly before the first book was released, according to the BBC.
The small home boasts hidden gems, such as a secret trap door in the dining room, as well as other inspirational features Potter aficionados might recognize. The Guardian reports:
As well as the gothic style, beams and vaulted ceilings, another feature that might have stuck in Rowling's mind as she sat down to write Harry Potter is a boy-wizard-sized cupboard under the stairs. Potter, of course, was forced to live in such a cupboard by his unpleasant aunt and uncle. The house also has a trapdoor leading to a cellar not dissimilar to the one guarded by the fearsome three-headed dog in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
The cottage was originally built as a school house, Small World News Service reports.
Real estate agents are taking note of how well homes with a history are doing on the market.
Some companies are even using the fairly quick purchase of Rowling's home as an effort to preserve, restore and sell older houses, such as a Hertford home thought to have been the inspiration for the Netherlands mansion in "Pride and Prejudice."
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The Huffington Post First Posted: 09/09/11 01:58 PM ET Updated: 11/09/11 05:12 AM ET