Little Whinging
|
|
Little Whinging, Surrey, England, is a fictitious town to the south of London, described in the Harry Potter series of novels. It was Harry's home for roughly the first 10 years of his life, where he lived with his cruel aunt, uncle and cousin, the Dursleys at Number Four Privet Drive. The author, J. K. Rowling, designed this place to be the most bland and stereotypical town in London's commuter belt in order to contrast it with the unique and spectacular Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry despises Little Whinging because of his memories of his treatment there, but in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore reveals that there is a reason why Harry must return there at least once a year.
The name "Little Whinging" is probably a pun on "whingeing", which is English slang for endlessly complaining about something.
The owner of the house used in filming subsequently had difficulty selling it, despite hoping its status would command a massive premium.