Where the Malfoys Live

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50552

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "annemehr <annemehr at y...>"
<annemehr at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve <bboy_mn at y...>" 
> <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
>  
> > Also, more of a side note, I believe that Diagon Alley is a city
> > within a city. ... I think Malfoy's house is in the rich section
> > of Magical London, in what I call the Magic City ...
> > - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>  Annemehr replied:
> 
> You have mentioned this before, as I recall, and my thoughts on it 
> have finally crystallized in my mind to where I can reply (but if 
> I make any mistakes about RL fact, any Brits reading this should 
> correct me!)  There are two points to make.
> 
> 1) The Malfoys are said to live in a Manor (...) .  ... a manor 
> is a large house on a large tract of land owned by a member of the 
> gentry (or nobility or upper class) in Britain (or, this is the way
> things used  to be, under the class system).  ...  Like the Riddle 
> House with Little Hangleton.  ...edited...
> -end this part-
 
bboy_mn:
Well my dictionary (American Heritage) would seem to agree with you. I
alway took Manor to be interchangable with Mansion both of which would
have a significant track to land associated with them. There are
Mansion nieghborhoods in Beverly Hill, CA and Brentwood, CA. Despite
being 'in town' they still, but city standards, have a large plot of
land creating a very spacious and private back yard; grounds, gardens,
pool, tennis court, etc....

I am reminded of several mansions here in Minneapolis, MN. When they
were built, they were country masion each with a large tract of land
extending behind them and roughly one or two mansions per block; of
course the 'blocks' weren't actually there at the time, just open
lighly wooded area. Today, those country estates are practically
downtown; they are in the heart of the city. 

I'm not disputing your point in any way, just trying to refine my view
of it. Relative to Malfoy Manor, we must remember we are dealing with
a very old family with a land estate that may be many centuries old.
So, Malfoy Manor which we now assume is on Malfoy Estate, could have
orginally been in a somewhat rural or suburban part of the Magic City.
As the centuries progress, the Magic City grew and most
Manors/mansions were build near them until it tranformed from an
isolated estate to a rich nieghborhood of mansions. Each could still
have anywhere from 2 to maybe 8 city block of land (maybe more)
depending on how rich you are. I think in a city, a house with a
mansion and 8 or more city blocks of land surrounded by a high stone
fence would come close to some definition of a manor. 

I would be more inclined to call what you are referring to a country
estate; country estate implying not blocks of land, but acres of land.

What I'm trying to do is see if I can reconcile this so that both of
us are right. 

Although, one new thought does come to me, when Malfoy brags about
flying, Harry said all Draco's stories ended with him narrowly
avoiding crashing into a helicopter. I doubt helicopter do much flying
in Magic Space, so that would lend weight to your theory.

This whole Magic Space/Normal Space thing is very confusing. I think
I'm going to start a separate post on that, and see if anyone can
enlighten me.

I do like your idea about Malfoys living like the Riddles. If I
recall, the Riddle kept their distance from the locals. So I have to
conclude by saying that you have come very very close to convincing me.

bboy_mn

> 2) But the upper class, besides having homes on their ancestral 
> lands, also had houses in London, for the purposes of socializing, 
> ...edited...
> 
> Annemehr


bboy_mn:
This could be right. If I recall a lot of wealthy people had
'townhouses' that would easly qualify as mansions themselves.

Is the anyone who is knowledgable in Brit-speak or British history
that could tell us, if it's possible to have something that would
qualify as a manor in London?

bboy_mn