Forest of Dean (JKR Interview - no OOP spoilers, I hope)

[edisbevan]

No: HPFGUIDX 64863

JKR said in her RAH interview that she went to school in the Forest 
of Dean and that Hagrid came from there as well..

This has resonances for Brits...

The Forest of Dean is in Gloucestershire, bordering on Wales (not in 
Wales...) It lies north of the Severn Estuary and stretches to the 
Wye Valley

It is famous for having a very strong local identity and robust 
independence, resisting outside interference. All outsiders, whether 
Welsh or English Foreigners from Gloucester twenty miles up the road, 
meddle with Foresters at their peril.  Basically Foresters have the 
reputation of being stubborn and unpersuadable especially towards 
people who claim to be trying to do Something Good for them. 

So associating the Forest with Hagrid tells us a lot!

It is a close-knit community with a reputaion for strong social 
values and a fortright approach to issues of right and wrong and this 
may say something about the values JKR brings to her writing.

It is one of the few remaining Old Forests of England so maybe gives 
a feel for how the Forbidden Forest looks in JKRs eyes. 27,000 acres  
(200 plus square miles) of old woodland with lots of wildlife. Also 
paradoxically a former industrial area because of the iron ore and 
coal found under the surface. 

JKRs family moved to Tutshill near Chepstow when she was nine and 
some of her family still live there.

There are also conenctions to Tolkien who lived for a time in the 
Forest before writing the LOTR.

Official Wwebsite is at

http://www.fweb.org.uk/dean/

The playwright Dennis Potter came from the Forest...

see this website

http://www.fweb.org.uk/dean/deanhist/dennis_potter.htm

Now I wonder whether the Potter name has significance...

Edis