Privet Drive is a street located in Little Whinging, Surrey. It's a quiet, neat place, quite different from the magic destinations we'll be presented later on. According to Tonks (OotP), the whole place is so clean it's unnatural. The number 4 is the Dursleys' residence, where Harry lives for sixteen years (from November 1st, 1981 to July 30th, 1997). Despite the fact that it's a big house with four bedrooms, Harry sleeps in a cupboard until he's eleven. From the time he starts attending Hogwarts, Harry spends only a portion of the summer there each year, since he invariably ends up somewhere else for the rest of the holidays.The name of the street comes from a suburban plant, referencing the inclosed nature of the Dursleys' suburban life, while 'Little Whinging' makes reference to a person who whines too much. Number 4 is Rowling's least favourite number, which is why she chose it for the Dursleys. (In some cultures, 4 is considered unlucky, similarly to the number 13 in Western culture.)
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| Floorpan of the Dursleys' house according to the books. |
In the book, the Dursleys live in a large two-story house, while in the movies the house is modeled after Rowling's much smaller childhood home.
