'After Three Years Since the Fire, Harry Potter Themed Café in Edinburgh's George IV Bridge to Make a Comeback'

The Elephant House cafe in Edinburgh, known for its connection to JK Rowling's Harry Potter books, is set to reopen after being closed for three years due to a fire. The cafe, along with other properties on George IV Bridge, was severely damaged in the blaze that occurred in August 2021. The reopening was delayed because the building's owner went into liquidation. Cafe owner David Taylor hopes to reopen the cafe by the summer of 2024, but he is unable to proceed with the necessary renovations until the structural issues of the building are resolved. The refurbishment is estimated to cost £1 million, and work will begin soon. Mr. Taylor expressed relief at the prospect of reopening and stated that he could have simply taken the insurance money and walked away, but his intention is to see the cafe thriving again. In the meantime, he has opened a second Elephant House cafe on Victoria Street, which overlooks the street believed to be the inspiration for Rowling's Diagon Alley. The table on which Rowling wrote parts of her books was salvaged from the fire and restored, and it is currently housed in the new cafe on Victoria Street. However, it will be returned to the original cafe once it reopens. Mr. Taylor has also launched The Elephant Cafe International franchise with Andrew McRae, and they have plans to open a franchise in Manilla where Rowling's table will be on display for one month. They are also exploring other franchise opportunities in Asia. It is believed that the fire started in the Patisserie Valerie cafe, which has a basement that runs beneath The Elephant House. Patisserie Valerie will not reopen in the same property. The Elephant House was one of two cafes regularly used by Rowling when she was writing the Harry Potter stories in the 1990s.