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The Brockdale Bridge was a road bridge located somewhere in England.[1]

Description[]

It spanned an unknown river.[1] It was built around 1985 and destroyed by Death Eaters sometime between 28 June and 5 July, 1996.[2]

History[]

About ten years old at the time of its destruction in 1996, the bridge collapsed and killed a dozen driving Muggles. In the summer of 1996, Lord Voldemort ordered Cornelius Fudge to step aside from his position as Minister for Magic, with the threat of a mass Muggle killing if he did not do so. Fudge refused to step down, and thus Voldemort ordered Death Eaters to attack the Brockdale Bridge. Fudge was replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour soon after.[1]

In the Muggle society, the best experts were at a loss on how the perfectly constructed bridge would just cleanly snap in two. Only the Muggle Prime Minister, who was briefed by Fudge, knew the truth of what happened.[1]

Behind the scenes[]

  • The Millennium Bridge, located in London, was used to represent the Brockdale Bridge in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The Millennium Bridge was not used, however, to portray the Brockdale Bridge, but rather as itself ("Millennium Bridge" is heard in the film coming from the radio, when Harry is at Treats at the beginning of the film). There is no mention in the books of that bridge, as the real Millennium Bridge was built in 2000.
    • However, a Guardian article seen in the film, reporting on the Millennium Bridge disaster, is dated the 5 July, 2007. This is one of many details in the film series that place the film timeline approximately 10 years after the books', roughly contemporaneously with the films' release dates.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister)
  2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister) (The Other Minister) tells us that Cornelius Fudge was sacked a fortnight after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries (18 June, 1996). Thus, Fudge had been sacked on 2 July, 1996. Since Fudge tells us that that was "three days ago", the chapter is set on Friday, 5 July, 1996. Fudge also says that the Brockdale Bridge incident had taken place during the course of the previous week; the earliest possible date that it could have taken place was the previous Friday, 28 June.
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