£430M Undersea Cable Diverted After Harry Potter Fans Say: 'Leave Dobby's Grave Alone'

A £430M power project connecting Britain and Ireland was rerouted after Harry Potter fans raised concerns that its proposed route would pass through a makeshift memorial to Dobby, the much-loved house elf.

Known as the Greenlink interconnector, the project connects Great Britain and Ireland's electricity grids via 190km of subsea and underground cables. The route links County Wexford with Pembrokeshire, where the cable makes landfall at Freshwater West. The Welsh beach served as the filming location for Dobby's death and burial scenes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The 500MW link became operational in early 2025.

Fans Saw Red Over Dobby's Resting Place

Harry Potter fans were quick to react after project manager Simon Ludlam showed the planned cable route during an interview. As soon as the interview aired, Ludlam said the company received 'hundreds of calls'.

Ludlam was initially unaware of the reason until a colleague told him, 'Apparently we're going to go straight through Dobby's grave.' He admitted he did not even know who Dobby was and initially dismissed the complaints because the character was fictional.

I said, 'Dobby, who's Dobby? I don't know Dobby?' he recalled. However, his colleague soon made clear that the backlash was 'very, very serious'.

A Fictional Grave Became a Real Planning Problem

The project team then worked with planners to find a way around Dobby's memorial. 'We went quite close to some real Bronze Age remains, but we avoided Dobby's grave,' Ludlam said on The Energy Revolution podcast. The route change meant the cable would pass closer to genuine archaeological remains while avoiding the fan-created memorial. Unlike Dobby's 'grave', those remains are real.

Archaeological investigations near the cable route uncovered the rim of an inverted pottery vessel believed to be a Bronze Age urn dating to around 1700–1500 BC. The revised route later came close to these genuine archaeological remains while avoiding Dobby's memorial.

Dobby's 'Grave' Has a Story of Its Own

Freshwater West has become a pilgrimage spot for Harry Potter fans, with visitors leaving message-covered stones and socks at Dobby's memorial. The socks reference the scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry frees Dobby by giving him one.

However, the tribute has also caused concern over its impact on Freshwater West. As the site grew in popularity, the National Trust reviewed what should happen to the memorial. In 2022, it held a public consultation on whether it should be removed or relocated.

Following the consultation, the trust decided the memorial could remain in the immediate term. However, it urged visitors to take photographs instead of leaving anything behind. The trust warned that items left could end up in the marine environment and food chain, potentially putting wildlife at risk.

Dobby Stayed, the Cable Took a Detour

For Harry Potter fans, the revised route was welcome news, keeping the cable away from Dobby's unofficial memorial at Freshwater West. Ludlam said those who had contacted the company were pleased with the change, adding: 'The project is now going ahead, and Dobby's happy.'

The incident shows how a fictional world can leave a very real mark on the places where it was filmed. The Greenlink interconnector is now carrying electricity between Ireland and Great Britain, while the unlikely memorial that prompted its rerouting remains on the Welsh coast.