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​J.K. Rowling Shuts Down Popular Fan Theory About The Leaky Cauldron

​J.K. Rowling Shuts Down Popular Fan Theory About The Leaky Cauldron

Fans have always thought of Rowling sitting in one particular Devon pub, dreaming up stories of Harry and his pals going for Butterbeers.

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Fans love to rustle up theories about a cult TV show, movie or book - and that's arguably no truer than in the world of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling's magical fantasy series about a bunch of witches and wizards.

One widely-believed theory is that the Old Fire House pub in Exeter - where Rowling studied at uni - was the inspiration behind the fictional Potter boozer, The Leaky Cauldron.

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Fans have long conjured up images of Rowling sitting in a cosy corner of the pub with a pint, dreaming up stories of Harry and co. going for a few butterbeers.

However, the writer has now said that it's one of the many urban myths that simply isn't true.

She took to Twitter to shut down the theory, saying: "If you want real fantasy, go to an estate agent. Never visited this pub in my life."

But Rowling did serve up some solace by saying the pubs that she did frequent while in Exeter, adding: "Red Cow, Black Horse, Mill on the Exe, the Artillery Inn (now sadly gone), but never that one, I'm afraid."

She spoke out after news circulated that the pub had been sold for a hefty sum to London-based City Pub Group PLC, owned by the father of Made In Chelsea's Lucy and Tiff Watson.

The sale led many began to wonder if the price of the pub had been affected in some way by the rumours about its links to Harry Potter - because a pub that has links to one of the world's hugest franchises is surely a top selling point.

Devonlive.com suggest the amount that City Pub Group paid could have been up to £4 million ($5.5 million), and that it's believed to be the biggest free house transaction ever in Devon.

The transaction was handled by Devon-based sales advisors Charles Darrow, which conducted a 'confidential' marketing campaign.

However, Charles Darrow has since said that it did not specifically market the property based on Rowling's apparent connections.

Agent John Clyne told The Scotsman: "We didn't market it as linked to her name at all. It is a lot of online talk. It is Exeter, so there are always a lot of links with Harry Potter."

Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros

Topics: Harry Potter, JK Rowling, UK News, Devon