Which London station inspired J.K. Rowling’s platform 9¾ setting?

King’s Cross Station inspired J.K. Rowling’s platform 9¾ setting.

In the Harry Potter novels, students reach the Hogwarts Express through the magical platform 9¾ at King’s Cross. The station is in central London and serves as the story’s departure point for Harry and his classmates at the start of each school year.

Rowling has said that King’s Cross had personal significance because her parents met on a train traveling from King’s Cross to Arbroath. The station therefore became more than a convenient railway setting: it was connected to an important family story.

The real station’s platforms 9 and 10 are separated by tracks, so a literal platform 9¾ could not simply be placed between them. A visitor attraction and luggage trolley installation were later created at the station, turning the fictional location into a popular fan landmark.