The Harry Potter fans have prompted the relocation of a multimillion-pound power cable project between the UK and Ireland after raising objections over its planned route near the fictional grave of Dobby, a beloved character from the series.
The $580 million Greenlink interconnector, which will connect Britain’s National Grid with Ireland, was originally planned to run beneath Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where Dobby was buried in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Guardian reported.
Fans Rally To Save Dobby’s ‘Grave’
The project’s manager, Simon Ludlam, said he was unaware of the character’s significance when he revealed the cable route during a BBC interview. The disclosure was followed by hundreds of complaints from Harry Potter fans.
“We did the shot, we finished, I went back to London, and they then aired it a couple of weeks later. And we got hundreds of calls, I mean, hundreds of calls,” he said.
Ludlam Stunned By Fans’ Complaints
Ludlam said he was unfamiliar with Dobby and was puzzled by the flood of calls the company received. He recalled a colleague telling him, “Apparently we’re going to go straight through Dobby’s grave”.
“I said: ‘Dobby, who’s Dobby? I don’t know Dobby?’ I said: ‘He’s a fictitious character in a fictitious book, the whole thing is fictitious, what are you talking about?,’” Ludlam said, the report mentioned.
Ludlam said a colleague warned him: “No it’s very, very serious.”
The company subsequently worked with planners to identify an alternative route. “A lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going [ahead] and Dobby’s happy.”
Ludlam added that the revised route passes close to genuine Bronze Age archaeological remains, including burial urns, but avoids the location associated with Dobby.
The National Trust, which manages the beach, has previously urged visitors not to leave stones at the fictional grave because the area is ecologically sensitive.