After Spoon closed, new owners took the space over, opened a new coffee shop, resurrected the Nicolson’s name, and have embraced the Rowling and Harry Potter connection fully – there’s Harry Potter theming inside, and they’re more than happy to welcome Potterheads through the door. When we originally started planning this trip, the space was occupied by a restaurant called Spoon that would eventually close during the pandemic. The other café known for its Potter connection is Nicolson’s Cafe.
It’s unfortunate this cherished piece of Potter history might be lost forever, but here’s hoping they manage to reopen. Sadly, it’s closed now – in 2021, a fire broke out in a different business in the same building, and The Elephant House was damaged. Nonetheless, she’s confirmed she did indeed spend plenty of time writing there, so this establishment has Potter bonafide. In truth, Rowling had started writing the books well before setting foot in The Elephant House. The Elephant House, just off the Royal Mile, bills itself as “The Birthplace of Harry Potter” because Rowling often wrote there. A fire damaged the building and café in 2021. Perhaps not the “birthplace” of “Harry Potter,” but most definitely a key part of Edinburgh’s “Potter” history. Rowling stayed to write much of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – the suite she stayed in carries her name now. Located right next to Edinburgh Waverly train station, one of the first places you see when arriving in Edinburgh by train from London is the Balmoral Hotel, and its connection to Harry Potter is most definitely a fact. We went in with a bit of skepticism but an open mind and readiness to have fun. Tours of Potter sites in Edinburgh might embellish, but more than anything, they’re a chance to get caught up in the excitement of a city that surely has deep Potter connections, often led by tour guides who themselves are eager and enthusiastic fans of Harry Potter, while among fellow Potterhead travelers who are as excited as you to be following in Harry’s footsteps – be they real or imagined. Whether a specific place inspired something in the books mattered less to us than it truly looked and felt like it very well could have.
We went about Edinburgh taking things in good humor and, with a grain of salt, committed to having fun and embracing all of Harry Potter’s Edinburgh lore. Next door to Greyfriars Kirkyard is George Heriot’s School, which many are convinced was Rowling’s inspiration for Hogwarts.
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