Harry Potter World - Studio Tour

For both Alex & Mickey’s main Christmas gift we bought them tickets to go with Dusa and I to the newest attraction in town, the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden. Best of all I managed to buy the tickets the day I first saw it advertised, probably as far back as October 2011 and the attraction didn’t open until April, which meant that we had tickets in the opening few weeks. Initially we arranged to meet at Kings Cross, so we could enjoy a lunch together (Especially as it was the day after the Steps concert), so we met at Benito’s Hat in the newly opened section of Kings Cross Station. Wow, what a transformation. So we all had a nice Mexican lunch and had our picture taken next to Platform 9 & ¾. Now despite having checked the website in advance for travel directions, I could have sworn it said that the trains left from Kings Cross. It must have been subliminal and my thinking that it would actually be platform 9 & ¾. But I was mistaken and we had to take a short journey to Euston, before getting the Train to Watford Junction where it said you could collect a coach to the Studios.

We found the bus stop by the simple fact it was the only one with a huge line and were informed we had just missed a coach filled to capacity. We didn’t however have to wait too long before we spotted a bright purple livery Harry Potter Themed Double Decker heading up the road. Within 15 minutes we were pulling into the Studio Car Park. The Studios themselves, having been home to the most successful movie franchise ever have now sadly closed to the movie making business and this has therefore enabled them to use several of the soundstages to house the new Harry Potter Tour. We entered the large Lobby which had enormous pictures from all of the movies around the top and you could hear the magical music from the movie being played over the loud speakers. We collected our Audio Tour sets from the booth. Expecting something like a Walkman we were quite impressed at being given an iTouch each with Malfoy providing the narration and the guide itself interactive. For each section you could click on a button on the screen to view further pictures or alternatively video clips. We stood in line to enter the tour for a few moments and were then lead through into a small holding room for what they would call at Disney the Pre Show and a movie was played about how the phenomenon of Harry Potter took off and how it very quickly was written into a screen play and the movies were being filmed, long before the final book had been penned. Moving on from the Pre Show, there was an Cinema where we were asked to take our seats and were shown an introduction movie by hosted by Harry, Ron & Hermione. Then totally unexpected the screen lifted to reveal a giant set of Golden Coloured doors.

The guide was hyping us up asking “Are you ready for the excitement to begin?” Then the doors, which must have been at least 13 feet tall opened revealing the Great Hall of Hogwarts on the other side. We were all asked to rise to our feet and the tour began. There we were standing inside the Great Hall. Two of the House Tables had been removed to ensure there was enough space for us all to enter while two tables remained. Down each side Gargoyles, each different hung and beneath them were suspended a giant iron bowl which flickered with actual flames.

Behind each of the tables were costumes of various characters and at the far end the Top Table where there were life size characters of all of the teachers, again dressed in actual costumes.

We were given some information about the great hall and informed that the tour itself was being housed in two of the Sound Stages that were used in the movie, the two that they had saved were Sound Stages J & K in honour of the author.

From the Great Hall we continued the tour at own pace. Where we were able to see props and memorabilia from all eight of the movies and sets both large and small. From the Griffindoor Boys Dormitory to Dumbledoors Office, the home of the Weasleys and Hagrids Hut, The Ministry of Magic. We got to see Harry’s old home, 4 Privet Drive, stepped on to the 3 story Knight Bus and then walked past Gringotts and all the way up Diagonally stopping naturally to take pictures of Olivanders Wand shop and Weasleys Gags and Wheezes.

Mid-way through the tour there were refreshment stands and we were able to each enjoy a glass of Butter Beer and the tour ended with possibly the most magical part of all, a chance to see the actual model of Hogwarts where all of the outdoor action shots were taken before the introduction to CIG in the final 8th movie. For the second time in the tour we all found our body tingling with tiny goosebumps. Seeing it all again made me remember all the fond memories of that first time I picked up my first copy of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and the memories of reading each and every book. The mania involved of going to the store at Midnight and standing in line with hundreds of other people to get your hands on the copy on the day of release and the wonder of seeing it all come to life on the screen. What a wonderful day out celebrating wonderful stories.