Harry Potter fans have managed to protect Dobby’s famous ‘grave’ from a huge energy project. The fictional grave of the beloved house-elf is located on a beach in the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire, and fans have made it a pilgrimage site that they visit every year. However, a construction project was proposed that would build a 125-mile Greenlink power connector to link power between the UK’s National Grid and Ireland. The £430 million project was reportedly running between County Wexford and Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire.
Harry Potter fans came to field to launch a protest, which finally forced the authorities to move the route to somewhere else. The project manager Simon Ludlam mentioned that they received ‘hundreds of calls’ to save Dobby’s grave. Initially, Ludlam responded, “Dobby, who’s Dobby? I don’t know Dobby? He’s a fictitious character in a fictitious book; the whole thing is fictitious, what are you talking about?” However, later he understood the seriousness of the matter.
Now the route will be different, and the authorities have mentioned that a lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going and Dobby’s happy.
There is an odd twist to the story. Planners were trying to avoid a site linked to a fictional character, but the new cable route also had to take nearby Bronze Age remains into account. This means the area has real history as well as a strong link to the Harry Potter films. The project team had to consider both when planning the new route.
Dobby may not be real, but his memorial has become a special place for Harry Potter fans. The route change means visitors can still pay their respects without worrying about the energy project disturbing the site.
For fans, that is more than enough reason to celebrate. Dobby’s little corner of Freshwater West has survived another challenge.