Harry Potter fans get £430m power link between UK, Ireland rerouted to save Dobby’s ‘grave’
Harry Potter fans have successfully forced a change in the route of a £430 million power link between the UK and Ireland after raising concerns that the project could disturb the fictional memorial of beloved house-elf Dobby at a Welsh beach.The Greenlink interconnector, a 125-mile undersea cable linking Ireland’s County Wexford with Freshwater West in Wales, was initially planned to pass through the spot where Dobby’s death was filmed for the Harry Potter films.However, the project’s route was later altered following a series of complaints from fans.Project manager Simon Ludlam said his firm received “hundreds of calls” following a BBC interview revealed where the cable was expected to come ashore. A colleague told him that the planned route would go “straight through Dobby’s grave”.Ludlam, who admitted he initially did not know who Dobby was, said he was puzzled by the reaction. “He’s a fictitious character in a fictitious book, the whole thing is fictitious,” he recalled telling a colleague.However, after being told the issue was “very, very serious”, planners were asked to find an alternative route that would avoid the memorial.
Dobby’s ‘grave’ draws Potter fans
Freshwater West, in Pembrokeshire, became a pilgrimage spot for Harry Potter fans after Dobby’s death scene was filmed there for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.Fans have since created a makeshift memorial using pebbles inscribed with messages for the character. Visitors from around the world have travelled to the beach to pay tribute to the fictional elf.Local tourism advocates have also highlighted the memorial’s role in attracting visitors to Pembrokeshire, where tourism is a major contributor to the local economy.
Cable avoids Dobby, nears Bronze Age remains
The revised route has not come without complications. Ludlam said the cable now passes “quite close” to genuine Bronze Age archaeological remains.Planning documents cited by the BBC said archaeological trenches near the cable route contained the rim of an inverted pottery vessel believed to be a Bronze Age collared urn dating to around 1700-1500 BC and typically associated with human burial.Despite the archaeological concerns, Ludlam said the project team managed to avoid Dobby’s memorial.“A lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going (ahead) and Dobby’s happy,” he said.
Memorial survived earlier controversy
The cable diversion is not the first time fans have rallied to protect Dobby’s memorial. In 2022, the National Trust, which owns the land, agreed to allow the makeshift tribute to remain after a consultation.However, fans were urged not to leave souvenirs such as socks at the site because Freshwater West is an environmentally sensitive beach.In the Harry Potter story, Dobby gains his freedom from magical servitude when given an item of clothing, making socks a popular tribute among fans.
