Recognised worldwide, the Harry Potter series by author J.K. Rowling follows a young teenage wizard trying to defeat the dark arts and his enemy, Lord Voldemort.
The Harry Potter novels are steeped in a resonant connection with the Forest of Dean. During her childhood, the novels’ author, J.K. Rowling, lived at Tutshill on the edge of Chepstow; the Tutshill Tornados are a Quidditch team in the books, and Professor Snape was based on her old teacher, John Nettleship, at her school Wyedean Comprehensive in Chepstow. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hermione is talking with Harry and recalls a holiday with her parents to the Forest of Dean. They then venture into the Forest, and several key scenes in the film were filmed here.
Coppett Hill, near Goodrich, features in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1. It’s a snowy scene in which Harry, who is a little dazed and confused, asks where they are. Hermione explains that they are in the Forest of Dean, and that she and her family used to holiday there when Hermione was much younger.
Additionally, in the film trailer for The Deathly Hallows - Part 1, there is an aerial shot that shows Harry, Ron, and Hermione walking along the banks of the River Wye near Horseshoe Bend at Symonds Yat at 0:52 seconds, with the Forest of Dean also featuring at 1:20.
This popular movie franchise, produced by Warner Brothers, has also been filmed in many other locations in Gloucestershire, including Gloucester Cathedral, which was transformed into Hogwarts.
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