Which London station inspired J.K. Rowling’s name for Harry Potter’s platform at Hogwarts?
Answer
King’s Cross station
King’s Cross station inspired J.K. Rowling’s name for Harry Potter’s platform at Hogwarts.
In the novels, students travel to Hogwarts by boarding the school train from Platform 9¾. The platform is fictional, but King’s Cross is a real London railway station with a major connection to Scotland and northern England, making it a fitting departure point for the Hogwarts Express.
Rowling has said that King’s Cross was important in her family history because her parents met on a train travelling from King’s Cross to Scotland. The station later embraced its literary connection with a Platform 9¾ photo spot and shop, although the magical platform itself does not exist as described in the books.