This week Ryan had a meeting in Portsmouth and some marketing training in London with all his travel expenses paid. Obviously this was the perfect excuse for me to tag along and have fun for a few days. We visited Ryan's friend in Winchester, explored a few National Trust places in Surrey and even squeezed in a few hours at Kew Gardens (I get in for free, job perks!) Unfortunately Ryan left me all on my own once we got into the centre of London. I've never done a solo tour of London before so I decided to hunt for some Harry Potter locations while nobody was there to complain! There is a lot of stuff available on the internet, which I used along with google maps and my pretty savvy underground knowledge to find these beauties...
Charing Cross Road
Nearest Underground: Leicester Square
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Hagrid collects Harry and takes him to Diagon Alley to buy his school supplies. The entrance to Diagon Alley is hidden behind the Leaky Cauldron pub which is supposedly on Charing Cross Road. You can wander along the busy road and imagine just slipping away into the magical world unnoticed by all the muggles! On Charing Cross Road you can also find Hardy's Sweet Shop which is supposedly the inspiration behind Honeydukes sweet shop. You can find a small assortment of Harry Potter themed sweets but they are quite expensive.
Leadenhall Market
Nearest Underground: Monument
Now here is where the Leaky Cauldron was actually filmed. The entrance to the Leaky Cauldron can be found down one of the narrower streets and in real life it's an opticians. At a first glance it's quite unrecogniseable but still strangely familiar. Even for those who aren't Harry Potter fans, Leadenhall Market is a lovely place with lots of shops and bars.
Cecil Court
Nearest Underground: Leicester Square/Covent Garden
Again, this is not an actual film location but it was one of the best places to visit. Covent Garden is one of my favourite parts of London and I had already walked down here before I even started looking for Harry Potter locations, oops! Cecil Court is said to be one of the inspirations behind Diagon Alley and there is certainly something magical about it, especially for book lovers. I found a bookshop called Peter Ellis that had signed copies of Harry Potter!! I was far too scared to ask how much they were but I did enjoy seeing all the old copies of Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland while I was there.
Millenium Bridge
Nearest Underground: St Pauls/Mansion House
In Deathly Hallows part one you can watch the Death Eaters causing Havoc in London and in particular to the poor Muggles on Millenium Bridge. It's a loose link to Harry Potter but it's worth going so you can also see Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and St Paul's Cathedral while you are there.
Platform 9 3/4
Nearest Underground: London Kings Cross/St Pancras
I had already been here once before with Ryan when we went to London just before New Year. The queue was absolutely massive and it all felt a little bit cheesy with the photographers so I decided against it. However, I was meeting Ryan at Kings Cross after his training and I just couldn't help myself! It's not the exact location (as there actually isn't a barrier between platforms 9 and 10) but it was still good fun. The Platform 9 3/4 shop is also worth a visit for a range of different Potter related goodies.
Whilst in London...
You could also visit the Warner Brothers Studio Tour but you'll need to put at least half a day aside for it. Check out the wb studio tour website to read about their new Hogwarts Express display and to book tickets. I've already been to the tour twice but I think it will never fail to disappoint, there is just so much to see.
Further Afield...
There are plenty of places around the UK that were used as film locations so if you are going away anywhere, it's always a good idea to check if there are any you could visit. I went to Goathland train station in North Yorkshire when I was a kid but didn't realise it was Hogsmeade Station until we got there - a great unexpected surprise! Goathland is also the location for the series Heartbeat.
The only other place I've been to is Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, which was used for exterior shots of Hogwarts and the flying lesson scene. If anyone has played the Harry Potter computer games, you might find the layout oddly familiar. It is well worth a day out at Alnwick Castle even if you aren't a massive Potter fan, there is a lot to see and do.
Charing Cross Road
Nearest Underground: Leicester Square
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Hagrid collects Harry and takes him to Diagon Alley to buy his school supplies. The entrance to Diagon Alley is hidden behind the Leaky Cauldron pub which is supposedly on Charing Cross Road. You can wander along the busy road and imagine just slipping away into the magical world unnoticed by all the muggles! On Charing Cross Road you can also find Hardy's Sweet Shop which is supposedly the inspiration behind Honeydukes sweet shop. You can find a small assortment of Harry Potter themed sweets but they are quite expensive.
Leadenhall Market
Nearest Underground: Monument
Now here is where the Leaky Cauldron was actually filmed. The entrance to the Leaky Cauldron can be found down one of the narrower streets and in real life it's an opticians. At a first glance it's quite unrecogniseable but still strangely familiar. Even for those who aren't Harry Potter fans, Leadenhall Market is a lovely place with lots of shops and bars.
Cecil Court
Nearest Underground: Leicester Square/Covent Garden
Again, this is not an actual film location but it was one of the best places to visit. Covent Garden is one of my favourite parts of London and I had already walked down here before I even started looking for Harry Potter locations, oops! Cecil Court is said to be one of the inspirations behind Diagon Alley and there is certainly something magical about it, especially for book lovers. I found a bookshop called Peter Ellis that had signed copies of Harry Potter!! I was far too scared to ask how much they were but I did enjoy seeing all the old copies of Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland while I was there.
Millenium Bridge
Nearest Underground: St Pauls/Mansion House
In Deathly Hallows part one you can watch the Death Eaters causing Havoc in London and in particular to the poor Muggles on Millenium Bridge. It's a loose link to Harry Potter but it's worth going so you can also see Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and St Paul's Cathedral while you are there.
Platform 9 3/4
Nearest Underground: London Kings Cross/St Pancras
I had already been here once before with Ryan when we went to London just before New Year. The queue was absolutely massive and it all felt a little bit cheesy with the photographers so I decided against it. However, I was meeting Ryan at Kings Cross after his training and I just couldn't help myself! It's not the exact location (as there actually isn't a barrier between platforms 9 and 10) but it was still good fun. The Platform 9 3/4 shop is also worth a visit for a range of different Potter related goodies.
Whilst in London...
You could also visit the Warner Brothers Studio Tour but you'll need to put at least half a day aside for it. Check out the wb studio tour website to read about their new Hogwarts Express display and to book tickets. I've already been to the tour twice but I think it will never fail to disappoint, there is just so much to see.
Further Afield...
There are plenty of places around the UK that were used as film locations so if you are going away anywhere, it's always a good idea to check if there are any you could visit. I went to Goathland train station in North Yorkshire when I was a kid but didn't realise it was Hogsmeade Station until we got there - a great unexpected surprise! Goathland is also the location for the series Heartbeat.
The only other place I've been to is Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, which was used for exterior shots of Hogwarts and the flying lesson scene. If anyone has played the Harry Potter computer games, you might find the layout oddly familiar. It is well worth a day out at Alnwick Castle even if you aren't a massive Potter fan, there is a lot to see and do.
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