By Annabelle King:
It’s eight months since Warner Bros opened their studio tour of the Harry Potter film sets at Leavesden, to re-create some of the magic that went into making the world famous movies. As a Harry Potter loving family we were desperate to go but I was holding back until the children were old enough to appreciate it as it’s not a cheap day out. These much hyped attractions are often a disappointment and I managed my expectations accordingly. However as it turned out, we were in for an incredible treat and this tour far exceeded my expectations. Harry Potter aficionados, young and old will not be disappointed.
As you enter the Great Hall through the grand doors of Hogwarts you can witness where Harry and his chums feasted on magical banquets, see Albus Dumbledore standing at his lectern and get right up close to the original costumes worn by Harry, Hermione, Hagrid and Draco. They have Daniel Radcliffe’s first ever tiny robes used in the Philosopher’s Stone, Cedric Diggory’s Triwizard outfit (actually worn by R.Pattinson – swoon) and even Luna Lovegood’s wacky wardrobe. You can peer into the Griffindor common room and see what is by Ron’s bed in the boys dormitory. In fact, there is pretty much everything there and you really do need a good three hours to take it all in. One staff member said the longest a guest spent was nine hours going around the vast three lot space and I can see why.
We went in the evening and the darkened outdoor film lot captured the children’s imagination as they visited the actual Number 4 Privet Drive, climbed all aboard the Knight Bus, crossed the famous Hogwarts wobbly bridge and sat in Hagrid’s side car. Butter beer was on sale as a mid tour refreshment and boy do you need it.
You get to see all the truly awe-inspiring work that went into the making of the movies, including the incredible architectural drawings made of the Hogwarts castle model which are in themselves a work of art. There’s a whole section devoted to the making of the magical creatures including the Hippogriff, the Gringott’s goblins, the Dragons and the house-elves to name just a few. You can walk up the real Diagon Alley, a highlight for all of us and peer into Ollivander’s and the Weasley’s joke shop and even fly on a broomstick in front of a blue screen and have your photograph taken as a souvenir.
The tour cleverly ends in the amazing but eye-wateringly expensive gift shop, by which point you are so overwhelmed and in love with all things Potter that you promptly spend a bomb like I did. The cheapest thing I spotted was a tiny lolly for £2.75. Be warned – approach with caution.
Other advice would be to take a bottle of water. The tour is vast and you can get quite dehydrated. Check-in your coats and big bags, you walk a long way and don’t want to be carrying anything. As for age, I would say that a lot of the detail was lost on the six year old, whereas the eight year old thought she had died and gone to heaven.
Book now – it’s worth every Knut, Sickle and Galleon.
Tickets cost: Adults £28 | Children 5-15 £21 | under 5 free
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