Privet Drive

"A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen."

- Description of the street on the night of 1 November, 1981

Privet Drive is a suburban street in Little Whinging, which is located in the county of Surrey, near London in the southeast of England. The neighbourhood consists of a number of boring, boxy houses. The Dursleys lived on this street, in Number Four. Neighbours included 3 Privet Drive and 11 Privet Drive.

Harry Potter
Harry Potter lived with the Dursleys in number 4 Privet Drive from the age of one to eleven, and every summer when he wasn't at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When he reached the age of seventeen, he left the house for good. It is unknown if he ever visited after the end of the Second Wizarding War, although he never lived there again.

Dudley Dursley
Dudley Dursley lived on Privet Drive from the time he was born to Vernon and Petunia Dursley, until he and his family parted ways with Harry for the last time and were taken into hiding by Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones during the Second Wizarding War. It is likely that he returned to Privet Drive with his parents after the war ended.

Vernon Dursley
Vernon Dursley lived on Privet Drive since before the end of the First Wizarding War. The Dursleys had to move out during the Second Wizarding War, as it was feared they would be targeted by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It is likely that he moved back to Privet Drive with his family after the end of the war.

Petunia Dursley
Petunia Dursley lived on Privet Drive since before the end of the First Wizarding War. She and her husband had to move out during the Second Wizarding War, as it was feared they would be targeted by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It is likely that she moved back to Privet Drive with her family after the end of the war.

Etymology
In Latin, privet means "it deprives us." When pronounced "pree-'vyet," it means "hi" in Russian, although this is probably a coincidence.

According to Pottermore, Rowling chose the word privet from a privet bush, a hedge that isolates suburban houses. She mentions that she liked the link to suburbia and isolation, which connected well with the Dursley's desire to be normal and away from wizards.



Behind the scenes

 * In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, every car featured on the street is the same model, which creates an anachronism, because this model was made after the film was set in, in 1991.
 * In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Arabella Figg is shown to live in this street, despite canonically she lives on Wisteria Walk.
 * For production of the film adaptation of the first book, an actual urban location (Picket Post Close, Winkfield, Bracknell) was chosen to double for Privet Drive. When this proved impractical for further films, a section of Privet Drive was constructed on the back lot at . As of August 2011, an aerial view of this set could be viewed via Google Maps.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * Pottermore
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Motorbike Escape