Real Harry Potter House – Visiting the Actual Filming Location of the Dursleys’ Home in Suburban London

Among Harry Potter fans, the “Dursley house” from the film series is a memorable location as the unhappy home where Harry spent his childhood. In the story, Harry was forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs and endured daily mistreatment. But did you know that this fictional setting actually exists as a real house in London’s suburbs?

I recently visited this real “Dursley house” in London’s suburbs and would like to share with you what it looks like today.

The Real Dursley House

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo (@wbtourtokyo)

The Dursley house, set in the films as located at “Number 4, Privet Drive,” is actually situated in a town called “Martins Heron,” about an hour’s drive from central London. This area is a typical bedroom community with quiet residential streets. The Dursley house set displayed at the “Harry Potter Studio” is only for indoor filming, while the exterior of the house that appeared in the first film was this actual house.

However, this house is not a tourist attraction but simply a home in a regular residential neighborhood. Although a lot of information is already available online, for privacy reasons, I’ll refrain from sharing the exact address in this article.

Stepping into the World of the Movies

When the Harry Potter Studio in Tokyo first opened, people talked about how the Dursley house set blended in with neighboring houses, looking “too ordinary.” The same is true for the real Dursley house. Arriving in Martins Heron, you’ll find yourself surrounded by a quiet residential area with a truly “ordinary” atmosphere.

I parked my car in a nearby lot and walked to the house. The orderly streets are lined with houses that could be found anywhere, making it feel a bit surreal that this is the filming location of the famous Dursley house.

Upon reaching my destination, I finally came face to face with the “Dursley house.” Cars and containers were placed in front, giving it a lived-in feel, but from the structure of the house, the arrangement of windows, and the surrounding landscape, I could tell this was undoubtedly the Dursley house I had seen in the films. Looking at the house while recalling scenes from the movies creates the illusion that Harry might still be living there today.

Of course, I couldn’t enter the house, but just imagining movie scenes—like Ron’s car crashing into that second-floor room—was enough to get me excited. I had imagined finding something like a monument marking “Harry Potter’s birthplace,” but it was surprisingly just an ordinary townscape. Nevertheless, for Harry Potter fans, it’s definitely a worthy pilgrimage site.

About the Film Shooting

During the filming, the homeowners and neighboring residents were reportedly paid a cooperation fee. At that time, probably no one anticipated that the film would achieve such global success. After the movie’s release, this quiet residential area suddenly gained attention, becoming a spot visited by fans, which must have surprised the local residents.

What’s also interesting is that when this house was put up for auction in 2003, the seller’s desired price was about 250,000 pounds (approximately $320,000 USD). Considering current prices and real estate values, this seems like quite a bargain for a two-story house in the London suburbs—especially one with the premium value of being “Harry Potter’s house.”

Conclusion

What did you think? In this article, I visited the real “Dursley house” in London’s suburbs and shared its atmosphere with you. However, this is not a tourist attraction but simply a residential area. When visiting, it’s important to be quiet and respectful so as not to disturb the local residents. Enjoy the excitement of seeing a movie location in real life while respecting the local atmosphere during your visit.