The Elephant House cafe in Edinburgh, where JK Rowling wrote portions of her Harry Potter books, is slated to reopen three years after it was damaged in a fire. The cafe was one of several properties destroyed in a blaze on George IV Bridge in August 2021. The landlord of the building went into liquidation shortly after the event, delaying restoration efforts.
David Taylor, the cafe’s owner for 28 years, aims to reopen the establishment by summer 2024 with a £1m refurbishment project. However, work cannot proceed until the structure of the central Edinburgh block has been stabilised. Taylor is feeling a sense of relief but will have to wait to begin renovations.
Mr Taylor has already established a second Elephant House in Victoria Street, where the drink Butterbeer, which Harry Potter enjoys in the books, is sold. It looks down over Victoria Street, recognised by fans as the inspiration for Rowling’s Diagon Alley. The existing cafe is reportedly holding the JK Rowling table until the original cafe reopens.
Additionally, Mr Taylor and Andrew McRae, the owner of the Museum Context retail chain that sells officially licensed Harry Potter merchandise, have formed The Elephant Cafe International franchise. One of these franchises will open in Manila in February, featuring JK Rowling’s table for one month. The franchisees are also investigating other Asian locations.
According to reports, Patisserie Valerie, which also has a basement that runs underneath The Elephant House, is not expected to reopen in the damaged building it shared with Taylor’s cafe. The Elephant House was one of two locations frequently visited by Rowling when writing the stories featuring the young wizard in the mid-1990s
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