The modest suburban house used as Harry Potter’s childhood home in the movie adaptations of JK Rowling’s books has been put up for sale for almost half a million pounds, and has attracted a huge amount of interest from fans around the world.

The three-bedroom property near Reading, depicted as 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging in the movies but which is actually located at 12 Picket Post Close in Bracknell, Berkshire, went up for sale for £475,000 this week.

The house, in which the young boy wizard is forced to sleep in the tiny cupboard under the stairs by his aunt and uncle Petunia and Vernon Dursley until he discovers magic and goes to Hogwarts, was bought in 2010 for £290,000. The owners before that were approached in 2000 by producers from Warner Bros for possible use in the first Potter movie, The Philosopher’s Stone, which came out the following year.

This was the only film the house actually featured in, however, as 4 Privet Drive was re-created in a studio for the purposes of the subsequent seven movies.

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Since it went up for sale, the unassuming-looking property has attracted a record number of ‘clicks’ on the estate agent’s website – even though nothing in the description actually mentioned its famous movie link.

“When we first launched the property four days ago, we did not mention the Harry Potter connection, but this morning it's been pretty evident that the world is interested in this property and there is an awful lot of hype,” said estate agent Paul Bosanko to BBC News on Monday (September 19th).

Although the legendary cupboard under the stairs is still there, unfortunately for Potter fans the house is not exactly like it is in the films. Boasting an extended south-facing garden, a new patio and a different kitchen, it’s near Martins Heron railway station which services London Waterloo.

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