More than four years after a fire hit several buildings near George IV Bridge in Edinburgh, the famous café The Elephant House has finally reopened its doors. This place has become famous throughout the world because JK Rowling wrote some parts of the first Harry Potter books here, making it an unmissable destination for millions of fans of the boy wizard. The reopening was welcomed as a historic moment, with numerous visitors queuing to be able to enter and relive the atmosphere in which the saga took shape.
The owner of the café, David Taylor, personally welcomed the visitors, underlining the emotional importance of the moment: “A dream comes true: this place has always meant a lot to so many peopleThe Elephant House is known not only for its connection to Rowling, but also for allowing customers to leave messages and graffiti in the bathrooms, turning the visit into an interactive and personal experience.
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The table saved from the flames
One of the most symbolic elements of the room is the antique table where JK Rowling sat to write in the nineties. Fortunately, the table was saved from the fire, becoming the centerpiece of the new room dedicated to the writer. A portrait of Rowling was placed next to the table, which now coexists with those of other famous Edinburgh authors such as Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith and Irvine Welsh, highlighting the city’s literary tradition.
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The story behind the reopening
The cafe had suffered heavy damage in August 2021 and the property went into liquidation shortly after the fire, slowing renovation work worth around £500,000. Thanks to a new agreement with the building’s owners, David Taylor has signed a 20-year lease, thus securing the future of the café and the possibility of welcoming fans and tourists from all over the world again.
An international appeal
During the closure, interest in The Elephant House never waned: Harry Potter fans continued to go outside to take selfies, while emails and requests for updates on the reopening arrived from all over the world. The reopening therefore represents not only the rebirth of the café, but also the continuation of a cultural and literary tradition that has made Edinburgh a point of reference for readers, tourists and fans of the most famous boy wizard ever. “After all this time? Always”.
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