Harry Potter Museum in London - plunge into the magical world

History of creation

Who Harry Potter is is known all over the world. The young wizard, a graduate of Hogwarts School of Magic, has many fans among those who have read books about him written by JK Rowling or watched films.

Filming took place in the suburbs of the capital of England, at the famous Warner Bros. Studio. And when the time came to put an end to this magical story, the idea was born to continue the fairy tale by opening the Harry Potter Museum in London in stunning film interiors.

Warner Bros. Museum Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter offers a unique opportunity to explore huge soundstages filled with original sets, props, animation models, and visual examples of the spectacular special effects that were used in the filming of the Harry Potter films.

Leadenhall Market

Leadenhall Market

The oldest market, Leadenhall, is located in the historical center of the capital, called the City. The British consider this place to be the heart of the city: the market has been located there since ancient times. The current appearance of the shopping arcade dates back to 1881 and is a superb example of Victorian architecture.

Those wishing to follow in the footsteps of Harry Potter in London should definitely visit Leadenhall on a guided tour. Then you can easily find Diagon Alley, the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron pub, and a lot of interesting information about the filming locations of Harry Potter.

What to see

The museum consists of pavilions where filming took place - the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, Platform 9 3/4 with the Hogwarts Express, part of Diagon Alley and others. All this is done with amazing detail. Even greater immersion is provided by the props - costumes of the characters, dishes, paintings, scenes from the film performed by mannequins. Particularly impressive is the huge model of Hogwarts, which was created by 40 designers.

You can also sit at the dining tables of all four faculties in the Great Hall, see Mr. Weasley's flying car, drawings and models for the film, Diagon Alley with all the shops there, portraits of Hogwarts directors specially created for filming, the Magic Hat, the sword of Gryffindor and other magical props , enjoy various sweets in the “Sweet Kingdom” and drink butterbeer at the “Three Broomsticks” bar.

And this is not all that awaits you during a tour of this huge film studio.

Many secrets will be revealed to visitors: for example, how special effects were used during filming, which made scenes from films so spectacular that we easily believed in the existence of this magical world.

Wax dolls are visible everywhere: Harry Potter himself, Viktor Krum, mermaids, goblins and many other film characters. And various magical objects are visible and invisible. Books, Remus Lupin's Suitcase, a textbook of magic, brooms, robes, and magic wands - for every taste and color.

Please note that the museum's exhibitions are of greater interest to those who know the history of Harry Potter well from books and films. It is as if you are immersed in the magical atmosphere of films, and all the exciting events are relived together with the characters of your favorite film.

Traveling around the museum takes about 3 hours, you can buy a time ticket early and walk there longer - no one will kick you out. When purchasing a ticket, you can order an audio guide in Russian.

There are just very few entertaining exhibitions. Children love the interactive exhibits, such as being able to remotely control Mrs. Weasley's magical knitting needles or the magical brush. The scenes with monsters from The Monster Book of Monsters are impressive.

A visit to the museum is strictly based on the time for which the ticket is booked (this is also noted in the printout that you will receive after booking your ticket: it states that you must be at the studio at least 20 minutes before the start of the tour). If you are late, you may not get in.

A tour of the museum as a whole takes approximately 3-4 hours. It begins with a 16-meter model of a fairytale castle - the Hogwarts school of magic. Burning torches give the castle a slightly sinister look, and special lighting changes day to night every 4 minutes. The giant pendulum swings all the time and dangerously hangs over tourists, threatening to fall on their heads.

And then you seem to find yourself in a fairy tale.

Usually the inspection begins from the Main Hall. All films were filmed in this hall for more than 10 years.

Studio workers are happy to share their cinematic secrets.

They will tell you how portraits on the walls suddenly come to life, or you can virtually go on a short journey on a magic broom.

There are not only decorations and exhibits (including interactive ones). At the beginning of the walk, you will be shown an entertaining video filmed by the main characters of the Harry Potter films. And then the children will be given small booklets where they can put the stamps found in the pavilions. Unfortunately, they are not given to adults.

You can take a stroll in Diagon Alley with its many shops. True, they are all closed and you cannot touch anything with your hands.

It wasn't just humans who played in the famous Harry Potter film series. Among the actors there are also various tailed fluffies.

Of course, there were many animals involved in the Harry Potter films. Harry the owl was played by four owls, and the role of Ron the rat was played by more than a dozen rodents.

An absolutely amazing exhibit is the Hogwarts school castle, which is located in a separate room. More precisely, this is just a model, the height of which is 2-2.5 meters.

At the buffet you can try butterbeer (a sweet non-alcoholic drink), various magical delicacies, although some of them, as you know, have not very pleasant fillings. This sweet drink doesn't come cheap. You won't have to pay Galleons for it, but you'll be missing out on a few pounds.

The museum has a cafe, picnic areas and shops with Harry Potter souvenirs.

Here you can purchase any books related to the Harry Potter universe. There are the usual volumes of the series, books about various magical creatures, museum guidebooks and a huge thick encyclopedia - a storehouse of knowledge about the world of magic and wizardry. You can leaf through it, look at it and, if desired, buy it.

Prices for items vary. There are quite cheap keychain magnets for £3, and there are Quidditch uniforms for £200. Everyone will be able to find a gift to suit their taste and wallet. Personally, we took a couple of packs of Bertie Botts and a chocolate stick. I would like to buy everything, but finances were already singing romances.

Approximate prices for some souvenirs:

• Magic wands can be purchased at different prices. Souvenir, beautiful, boxed ones will cost £25, simpler ones will cost £10.
• Lollipops with different flavors and chocolate frogs - £8-9.
• Magnets, pens, keychains – £4-5.
• Sugar feather (like our cockerel) – £3.
• Chocolate stick – £4.

What to see at the Harry Potter Museum in London

In the museum you can see various props from the filming, clothes of the characters, full-size scenery, and also purchase attributes of the world of magic - choose a suitable magic wand or try butterbeer.

Immediately after entering the museum, visitors find themselves in a large foyer, where portraits of actors who played in films and quotes from books hang on the walls. Under the stairs you can see the closet in which Harry had to live while he was with the Dursleys. There is a queue for the tour in the lobby.

Harry Potter Museum in London.

Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Diagon Alley

The tour of the exhibits begins in the Hogwarts dining hall. It is modeled after a hall in one of the colleges at Oxford University. The shooting of crowd scenes with the participation of students of the school of magic took place here. Along the walls are mannequins dressed as students from all faculties. All costumes that visitors see were used during filming.

In the center of the hall you can see the Sorting Hat. In front of the teachers' desk are mannequins dressed as Hogwarts teachers. Here you can see the clothes of Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape.

After the main hall, visitors enter Diagon Alley with magical shops. In the shop windows you can see magic wands, brooms, and owl cages. Despite the plausibility and colorfulness of Diagon Alley, the shops are not equipped for entry.

Hogwarts School of Wizardry

Hogwarts Hall

mannequins dressed as students from all faculties

Teacher mannequins

Ministry of Magic and Umbridge's office

There is a separate pavilion in which the authority of wizards, the Ministry, is built. Its interior is made in dark colors with massive columns. Large chandeliers can be seen under the ceiling. Costumes of ministry workers and magical creatures are displayed along the walls.

Dolores Umbridge's office design is done in shades of pink, and the walls are decorated with decorative plates. There is a collection of pink dresses for the heroine with lots of bows.

Umbridge's office at the Harry Potter Museum.

Harry Potter Workshop

The people responsible for styling the characters worked in this room - hairdressers and make-up artists. There are many wigs, hairpieces, accessories and other makeup elements that costume designers used to create the images of movie characters.

Potions room

One of the most atmospheric rooms in the museum is the office of Professor Snape, who taught potions. The shelves in the room are filled with many flasks with different contents. Each bottle has a sticker with the name of the ingredients. In the center of the office there is a table and large cauldrons for making potions. There is also a figure of Professor Snape in a black suit.

Yule ball

This room contains props from the filming of the fourth Harry Potter film. Here you can see the costumes of the heroes in which they came to the Yule Ball, and the ice table on which drinks were served.

Hagrid's Hut, The Burrow, Dumbledore's Office and the Gryffindor Common Room

The museum contains decorations of places that do not belong to the magic castle. In Hagrid's hut you can see the figure of a half-giant, his dog Fang, boxes and baskets filled with various contents. You cannot go inside the room, but everything can be seen from a distance.

A separate room is allocated for the Weasley family's home, called the Burrow. It has many interesting details - dishes that wash themselves, an iron that can iron clothes on its own, and knitting needles that do not require a person to knit. For all these things to work, you need to click on a special button on the interactive panel.

After visiting the Burrow and Hagrid's house, visitors enter Dumbledore's office and the Gryffindor common room, where many important scenes from the film were filmed.

The entrance to Dumbledore's office is blocked by a large magical griffin. Inside the office are many bookshelves and portraits of previous Hogwarts Headmasters. There are figures of two Dumbledores in the room, because this character was played by two actors. In the first two films, the role of the powerful wizard was played by Richard Harris, in the subsequent ones - Michael Gambon. Also in the office on the wall you can see the sword of Godric Gryffindor , which is important in the Harry Potter story.

In the Gryffindor common room, the furniture, carpets and tapestries on the walls have an artificially aged effect. Next to the armchairs and fireplace are figures of Harry and Ron in casual clothes, not in student robes. The staircase to the bedroom does not actually lead upstairs, but to the other side of the pavilion. At the entrance to the living room hangs a portrait of a Fat Lady.

Hagrid's Hut at the Harry Potter Museum.

Magic props

In the hall you can see many things that viewers have seen in films. A separate stand is allocated for the magic wands of the main characters. Next to each copy there is a sign indicating the owner of the wand.

Quidditch game attributes are laid out on the table - bludgers, a golden snitch with wings, sports uniforms. On another stand all the horcruxes are collected - enchanted objects in which Voldemort kept parts of his soul.

Location filming

After visiting the pavilions, museum visitors find themselves on an open-air film set, where they can see props found in films:

• Hagrid's motorcycle;
• bus for wizards “Night Knight”;
• a tombstone with a statue of Death with a scythe from the grave of Tom Riddle;
• Ron's dad's old car.

Nearby are the sets of Privet Drive, where the Dursleys' house is located, and the Shrieking Shack. Large chess pieces that appeared in the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, are displayed nearby.

On the set there are figures of magical creatures involved in the film - the hippogriff Buckbeak, the large spider Aragog, the giant Grawp. Reduced models of buildings are presented. The most interesting of them is a 2.5 m high castle. This is a detailed copy of Hogwarts, the design of which was developed by 40 specialists. Rocks and plants were used for the landscape, and 300 small light bulbs were needed to simulate lighting from torches and candles.

Filming set at the Harry Potter Museum.

Winter Hogwarts

A New Year's surprise awaits visitors from November 17, 2021 to January 27, 2021. This year, studio guests will see for the first time how, on the eve of Christmas, the model of the Hogwarts school building will be covered with snow (as described in the book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”).

The snow will be dendritic salt, which is very similar to snow. To enhance the feeling of the Christmas holidays, 8 Christmas trees with garlands of white mistletoe, holly and gold wreaths will be installed inside the castle.

A festive lunch with traditional Christmas dishes will be served on the long dining tables: ham, turkey, vegetables and fruits, coconut cake and candied fruit pudding (the set of dishes is the same as in the first Harry Potter film). This is a great gift prepared for guests this year.

Westminster tube station

Westminster Tube Station

The London Underground is the oldest in the world, which is why its stations fit so well into the atmosphere of magic, there is something special about them.

Westminster is the station where the fifth installment of Harry Potter was filmed in London, and you can see it in the episode when Harry and Arthur Weasley go to the Ministry of Magic for a disciplinary hearing.

This station was opened in 1868, but still functions perfectly and is considered one of the most important, only technical innovations have been added. And above Westminster Station there are many London attractions, where you can fully experience the British flavor.

How to buy tickets to the Harry Potter Museum

Tickets are sold only on the studio's website. You won't be able to buy them locally. The number of tickets for the same time is limited, so you should think about purchasing in advance. Especially if you want to attend special events that the studio announces on its website.

1. Select the required ticket.

You can choose a regular ticket or take a combined ticket, which immediately includes a souvenir guidebook (it costs £9.95 separately) and a digital audio guide in different languages ​​(£4.95).

2. Select the day and time of the excursion.

3. Go to the cart and look at the shopping list.

4. You can additionally order an audio guide or guidebook.

5. Delivery method.

You can send tickets by mail, but it is much more convenient to receive them right before visiting the museum from special machines.

6. Enter personal data.

7. Payment for the ticket.

After payment, you should receive a notification letter and a ticket reservation by email. Print it out and take it with you to the museum.

Warner Brothers Studio Ticket Price

The "Saver" ticket can only be purchased for the non-underlined dates that are marked above in the calendar.

Museum opening hours and excursion costs

The first round starts at 10:00, and the last takes place from 16:00 to 18:30.

#chamberofsecrets #harrypotter

Posted by Chris Čonkrs (@conkrs_) Mar 4, 2021 at 1:46 PST

Ticket prices:

• adult - £77
• children (5 – 15 years) – £72
• family (2 adults and 2 children) - £288

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Posted by (@pyein) Mar 4, 2021 at 5:54 PST

The Harry Potter universe is filled with thousands of details. Decorators did a tremendous job of recreating them in films - now these are museum exhibits that allow you to touch the magical world of Hogwarts.

How to get to the Harry Potter Museum from London

From London, from London Euston station you can take the train to Watford Junction and back in just 20 minutes for about £10.

A special double-decker bus runs from Watford Junction station to the studio every half hour (for £2 you can go there and back). Time yourself correctly to get to Watford Junction Station with plenty of time to spare, at least 45-60 minutes before the time shown on your ticket.

You can also take a taxi, which will cost approximately £55.

Calendar of low prices for air tickets:

Piccadilly Circus, Shaftesbury Avenue turn

Piccadilly, Shaftesbury Avenue

Important places in Harry Potter in London are also considered to be ordinary streets and squares along which wizards move among Muggles. In the final part of the film, three friends (the main character, Ron and Hermione) are forced to hide from the wedding and transgress straight into Piccadilly Circus, barely managing to dodge the bus.

The lively square with shops, restaurants and the Royal Academy of Arts is a favorite place for all tourists and locals.

Tips for visitors

• Do you want a photo for memory? Shoot as much as you like. The only “but”: you cannot use professional photographic equipment.
• If you encounter any problems with the audio guide, you can use the services of the staff : they will help, if necessary, recharge the device or switch the electronic translator from one language to the one you need.
• Be prepared for surprises , descriptions of which have not yet been described on the Internet - something new is constantly appearing in the museum.
• So, one day tourists found themselves in a winter fairy tale : the model of the Hogwarts building was literally covered with snow, artificial, but like two peas in a pod similar to natural snow. The decoration of the premises also corresponded to the “season” - spruce garlands, holly wreaths, Christmas delicacies on the tables of the Great Living Room.