Highlights
- Harry Potter fans helped prompt the diversion of the £430m Greenlink interconnector away from Dobby's grave.
- The 125-mile cable connects the UK National Grid with Ireland via County Wexford and Freshwater West.
- Project manager Simon Ludlam said his company received "hundreds of calls" from concerned fans.
- Planners subsequently rerouted the underground cable away from Dobby's memorial.
- The National Trust previously agreed in 2022 that the mock grave could remain at Freshwater West.
Dobby's grave at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire has led to the rerouting of a multimillion-pound power link between the UK and Ireland after Harry Potter fans raised concerns that construction could disturb the tribute to the fictional House Elf.
The £430m Greenlink interconnector connects the National Grid with Ireland through a 125-mile cable between County Wexford and Freshwater West. The Pembrokeshire beach is where the death of Dobby was filmed for the Harry Potter films.
Simon Ludlam, project manager and founder of Etchea Energy, said the cable had originally been planned to pass through the area of the tribute. However, after fans discovered the proposed route, his company received "hundreds of calls".
How Dobby's grave changed the power cable route
Ludlam discussed the unexpected controversy while appearing on the Energy Revolution podcast.
He said a BBC News interview about the project became a public relations problem after Harry Potter fans learned where the cable was due to be installed.
During the filmed interview, Ludlam had pointed out where the cable would go underground. He said: "We did the shot, we finished I went back to London, and they then aired it a couple of weeks later.
"And we got hundreds of calls, I mean hundreds of calls."
Ludlam said a colleague subsequently explained the reason behind the calls, telling him that "apparently we're going to go straight through Dobby's grave".
The project manager initially did not understand why the location had become such a serious concern.
"I said 'Dobby, who's Dobby? I don't know Dobby?'"
"I said 'he's a fictitious character in a fictitious book, the whole thing is fictitious what are you talking about?'"
"[The colleague] said 'no it's very, very serious'."
Ludlam then said he discussed the proposed route with planners and looked at ways of moving the cable away from the site.
He said they considered "exactly how to reroute the cable so we wouldn't go anywhere close to Dobby's grave".
The change was welcomed by fans, according to Ludlam.
He added: "A lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going [ahead] and Dobby's happy."
Dobby's grave Photo Credit/X/@sboficial
Dobby's grave and Bronze Age archaeology
Although the cable was diverted away from Dobby's grave, the route came close to genuine Bronze Age remains.
The archaeological discoveries were referenced in Pembrokeshire council planning documents relating to the power link.
According to the documents, archaeological trenches near the route of the underground cable "contained the rim of an inverted pottery vessel whose fabric suggests a Bronze Age collared urn circa 1700-1500BC, typically associated with human burial".
The archaeological remains therefore represent a separate historical feature near the route of the Greenlink cable, while Dobby's grave is connected to the fictional world of Harry Potter.
Dobby was one of the most popular characters in the Harry Potter franchise, and the Freshwater West location has become a destination for fans of the films.
Visitors make pilgrimages to the site and leave pebbles carrying messages written to Dobby at the mock grave.
The tribute has become associated with the beach because the death of Dobby was filmed there for the Potter films.
The popularity of the site has also created environmental concerns because Freshwater West is environmentally sensitive.
Dobby's grave was previously saved in 2022
The Greenlink cable diversion is not the first time Dobby's grave has been protected following concerns over its future.
In 2022, the National Trust agreed that the mock grave could remain at Freshwater West after a consultation.
However, the National Trust urged visitors not to leave souvenirs at the site.
Fans were specifically asked not to leave socks on the mock grave. The tribute is made from pebbles with messages written on them, while visitors had been leaving socks as a reference to Dobby, who is associated with the item in the Harry Potter story.
The latest decision to reroute the Greenlink interconnector means the £430m power project can proceed without taking the cable through the area of Dobby's grave.
The episode highlights the strong connection Harry Potter fans have developed with Freshwater West, where a fictional character's filmed death has created a lasting memorial visited by fans from beyond Pembrokeshire.
