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Harry Potter-obsessed gran converts attic of bungalow into enchanting Hogwarts themed common room for 4,000 item collection
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A gran who has spent years amassing a collection of more than 4,000 Harry Potter items has converted her attic into an incredible Hogwarts-themed common room.
Self-confessed ‘Potter addict’ Janice Burnett has converted the attic of her bungalow into a spellbinding shrine to JK Rowling’s wizarding world, and has shown off her prized possessions shortly after fans were treated to the film series’ 20th anniversary reunion special.
The grandmother said she first became enchanted with Harry Potter 11 years ago when she watched one of the blockbuster films at a friend’s house.
Since then, she has built a huge collection devoted to Gryffindor, the mythical school house where characters Harry, Ron and Hermione live in the bestselling books.
Janice, who helps run fan pages Harry Potter UK and Fantastic Beasts, said she had bought up everything she could initially but had since refined her collection.
She admitted: ‘When you’re a collector, you do get addicted to things.
Janice’s collection is more than 4,000 items (Picture: SWNS)
Like Harry, Ron and Hermione, Janice is a Gryffindor (Picture: Warner Bros/DPA/PA Images)
‘At the start, as soon as I saw something with Harry Potter on it, I had to buy it. But you have to be careful in the end because you’re overcome with a kind of rubbish collection.
‘So I’ve had to cut down on all the stuff I don’t need, but I do want to collect the expensive things.’
The mother of two, from Warrington, Cheshire, said she was originally drawn to Harry Potter after binge-watching the films with a friend, having missed out on the franchise when her children were small.
‘My interest started when I visited a friend. She had Harry Potter on the TV, and I thought, “I quite like this film,”’ she revealed.
‘I then went back round and for eight weeks, each Saturday, we used to get some popcorn and we used to watch Harry Potter.
‘I was just enthralled with this film, and then I just started collecting from there.’
Janice first got into Harry Potter 11 years ago (Picture: SWNS)
She has whittled down her collection in recent years (Picture: SWNS)
Janice, who is a full-time carer, said while it was initially tricky to find Harry Potter memorabilia, she now has to work hard to find the right pieces in a saturated market.
‘In the beginning when I first got into it, in 2011, you couldn’t really buy things in shops.
‘Now, it’s kind of everywhere. The franchise has really expanded. It doesn’t matter which shop you go into now, you’ll find Harry Potter stuff.’
Janice’s collection is solely focused on Gryffindor, the wizarding house at Hogwarts school which she feels most closely fits her character.
The 53-year-old said: ‘I always felt that I was Gryffindor, and then I got sorted into it on Pottermore – the Harry Potter fan club.
‘I don’t have anything else to do with Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. It’s just red and gold [Gryffindor’s house colours] – that’s it!’
Janice is most proud of her miniature displays, which depict scenes from the films in amazing detail.
The fireplace in her ‘common room’ attic actually lights (Picture: SWNS)
The avid fan has the Great Hall and the Gryffindor common room, as made by the company Valentines Miniatures, and noted that their value is climbing.
In her attic, Janice also has a purpose-built fireplace, similar to the one found in the Gryffindor common room.
She added: ‘It lights, and it does actually look very cosy when you’re sat up there – it looks like a proper room.’
Her collection has now spilt over into other parts of her house, where she has placed a range of one-of-a-kind furnishings.
More: Harry Potter
‘The little bedroom is kind of a replica of the Gryffindor boys’ dormitories.
‘The furniture that I have got in there, I’m led to believe, is a one-off piece, which was all on display in Harrods.’
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