Harry Potter fans helped divert a £430m power cable away from Dobby’s Grave

Harry Potter fans played a rather bigger role in protecting one of the fandom’s best-known UK pilgrimage sites than many may have realised.

Speaking on The Energy Revolution podcast, Simon Ludlam, who served as director of the Greenlink power cable between Wales and Ireland, revealed that fans helped persuade the project to route it around and away from Dobby’s Grave at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire.

Fans spotted the problem

Ludlam recalled a BBC Wales news report in 2019 in which he explained where the Greenlink energy interconnector would make landfall at Freshwater West.

Eagle-eyed Harry Potter fans realised the proposed route would go right through and impact the site of the unofficial memorial to Dobby. As word spread, Greenlink received “hundreds” of calls, according to Ludlam, which at first surprised the team, who were unaware of how much this place meant to many within the Potter universe. The project eventually went back to planners and Greenlink changed the route, though it never made an official statement explaining the reasons why.

The intervention to stop by enery piece broke in early August as the podcast interview made its way into the media, and fans who then started sharing the good news.

A place made by fans

Harry Potter fans sharing news of the Greenlink intervention. Post by Ryan Lockyer via Wizards Rest (Harry Potter Fan Club), Facebook, 7 August 2026.

Freshwater West provided the setting for Dobby’s death and burial in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, released in November 2010, with his grave appearing again at the beginning of Part 2.

In the years that followed, fans sought out the filming location and created their own unofficial memorial inspired by the scene in the film, leaving stones painted with messages and tributes to the “free elf”. They also left socks, a reference to the moment Harry tricks Dobby’s master into giving him clothing and setting him free.

For some fans, part of the experience is simply finding the location for themselves. One visitor described being stunned by the size of the memorial, adding simply: “The socks got me.”

Fans have also stepped in to help maintain the memorial against other threats. Its headstone mysteriously disappeared in April 2019, with no confirmation of what had happened to it. Potter fan Kaiye Nazer later revealed she had made several replacement headstones as previous versions disappeared.

Saved before

In 2022, National Trust Cymru considered removing or relocating the memorial as part of an eight-month review into growing visitor pressures at Freshwater West.

Nearly 5,000 people responded to two online surveys, alongside workshops and wider consultation. Dobby’s Grave was ultimately allowed to remain, but visitors were asked to leave only memories rather than socks, painted stones or other objects that could harm the protected environment.

Dobby’s Continuing Appeal

Dobby became one of Harry Potter’s most loved characters, with his loyalty to Harry, fight for freedom and eventual sacrifice giving him an enduring emotional connection with fans. In a 2025 poll of 1,500 Harry Potter fans, both Dobby being freed with a sock and his death were ranked among the 30 most iconic moments across the franchise.

Screen Tourism Signal

Fandom can become a form of long-term destination guardianship, rather than simply being driven to consume all things connected to a film or TV series. As Harry Potter shows, fans can visit screen locations, but also create, maintain and advocate for places long after a film’s release.