======Charing Cross Road======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Muggle]] Street / Magical Entrance
  * **Location:** [[London]], [[England]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** N/A (The [[Leaky Cauldron]], located on the street, is owned by [[Tom the Innkeeper]])
  * **Key Features:** A real-world street in [[London]] that serves as the [[Muggle]]-side location for the entrance to the [[Leaky Cauldron]] and, by extension, [[Diagon Alley]].
=====Description and History=====
Charing Cross Road is a prominent street in [[Muggle]] [[London]]. To the non-magical eye, it appears as an ordinary, busy thoroughfare. However, for the wizarding community, it holds the location of the [[Leaky Cauldron]], the pub that serves as the public entrance to [[Diagon Alley]].
The [[Leaky Cauldron]] is described as a tiny, grubby-looking pub wedged between a large bookshop and a record shop. It is magically concealed from [[Muggles]], who pass by without a second glance, their eyes sliding over it. Witches and wizards, however, are able to see and enter it. As [[Rubeus Hagrid]] explains to [[Harry Potter]], one must have [[magic]] to perceive it.
The street itself is part of the route taken by the [[Knight Bus]], which is shown to expertly navigate through its [[Muggle]] traffic to drop off and pick up passengers directly outside the [[Leaky Cauldron]].
=====Role in the Story=====
Charing Cross Road represents the primary threshold between [[Harry Potter]]'s [[Muggle]] upbringing and his entry into the wizarding world. Its significance is most pronounced in the following instances:
  * **//Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//:** [[Rubeus Hagrid]] brings Harry to the [[Leaky Cauldron]] via Charing Cross Road. It is here that Harry first steps into a magical establishment, transitioning from the mundane street into the hidden pub, and subsequently into [[Diagon Alley]] to purchase his [[Hogwarts]] supplies. This moment marks his true introduction to the magical community.
  * **//Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//:** After fleeing the [[Dursleys]], [[Harry Potter]] specifically requests the [[Knight Bus]] take him to the [[Leaky Cauldron]]. He then spends the remaining weeks of his summer holiday living at the pub, making Charing Cross Road his temporary home base. This reinforces the location's role as a central and accessible hub for wizards in [[London]], and a place of refuge for Harry.
=====Known Areas Within=====
The primary and most significant magical location situated on Charing Cross Road is:
  * **[[The Leaky Cauldron]]:** A popular and ancient wizarding pub and inn, providing food, drink, and lodging. It also contains the enchanted entryway to [[Diagon Alley]] in its small, walled courtyard.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * Charing Cross Road is a real street in [[London]], famous for its many bookshops, particularly second-hand and specialist ones. J.K. Rowling's choice of this street is likely a nod to its literary associations, fitting for a story about a world discovered through literature.
  * In the film adaptations, the physical location used for the exterior of the [[Leaky Cauldron]] varied. In //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//, the entrance was filmed in Leadenhall Market. For //Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//, a new location at 7 Stoney Street, near Borough Market, was used. (film)
  * The name "Charing" is believed to derive from an Old English word for a bend in a river, while "Cross" refers to the last of the Eleanor Crosses, a medieval monument. This historical depth complements the idea of an ancient magical world existing alongside the modern one.