Are you ready for a trip to Azkaban just for wanting to see the castle of your wizardry dreams? Due to large fan crowds, the owners of the iconic Hogwarts castle used in film the Harry Potter films series are planning to build what some critics are calling a “prison fence”.
England’s Duke of Northumberland, Ralph Percy, who has apparently been fed-up with finding parts of his property damaged and covered in garbage, is attempting to wreck a wall to keep out intruders. Apparently, fans are so eager to visit the place that they have not been acting in a well-behaved manner.
The 11th century castle was used to film a couple of Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. But that's not all, as its insides - which are incredibly plush as one might expect - were instead used for several episodes of your nan’s favourite series, Downton Abbey.
However, Percy’s neighbours aren't happy at all about the decision to erect a protective fence. One of the residents, George Skipper, apparently commented: "At best this will look like a theme park, at worst a young offenders' institution."
Another resident, Andrew Duff, who lives quite far from the castle, commented on how the fencing "has an industrial appearance more suited to a business park or school site".
Resident Maria Youngs said: "I respect the fact that the duke needs to protect his home from fly-tippers. [...] Surely there is a better design than this ugly fencing which looks more like the kind you see surrounding prisons to keep the inmates from escaping."
Still, despite the residents' complaints, planning officers approved the fence plans last week, with the project expected to be completed even before the summer season as to avoid further unwanted visitors. If you want a last chance to view the castle without the prison fence standing in front of you, you might just have a couple of months left to do so.
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