The London street everyone assumes 'inspired' Harry Potter - but plot twist, it didn't

Sorry to be the one to break the spell but sadly Cecil Court within London’s iconic Covent Garden area did not inspire locations within the Harry Potter franchise.

Having long been associated with the beloved wizarding world, the spot is believed by many to have inspired the shopping street Knockturn Alley in the books and movies.

Just off the famous Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley is filled with shops devoted to the Dark Arts.

Harry Potter first discovers the spot after he gets lost trying to get to Diagon Alley in the Chamber of Secrets.

While you could say Cecil Court’s Victorian-era shop fronts bear a similar resemblance to those in the fictional passageway, the London spot was not used as inspiration for Knockturn Alley.

In fact there is even a framed sign down the street stating this to passersby, which reads: “Harry Potter has nothing to do with this street. J.K. Rowling did not get inspiration from this street.”

The Harry Potter author previously debunked the rumour the London street had inspired settings in the franchise on X formally known as Twitter in 2020.

In a thread of posts reacting to several alleged inspirations and birth places of Harry Potter that have been rumoured over the years, Rowling responded to a tweet that mentioned Cecil Court.

The tweet asked: “What about Goodwin’s Court/ Cecil Court in Covent Garden? There were dozens of tours a day declaring those as Knockturn Alley & Diagon Alley prior to lockdown”

Replying to the fan query, Rowling wrote: “I’m laughing here. Before I started this thread I had no idea how many different streets were claiming to be ‘the inspiration’ for Diagon Alley, but this is the first time I’ve seen Knockturn Alley! Neither was based on any real place.”

While Cecil Court may not have links to the franchise, London is still a big part of the Harry Potter world.

You can visit Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station and visit some of the other city locations that feature in the movies including Millennium Bridge and Leadenhall Market.

If you want more great content like this, follow us on social media! We’re on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn.