Hogwarts at Christmas

From the first time I saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (yes, I saw the movie first, before reading the books, gasp!), I was hooked on the magical world of Hogwarts and the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione.  I subsequently read every word of every book, anxiously awaiting the next installment, and savoring every film.  My mom and I even ventured up to the Universal Studios Harry Potter theme park a few Christmases ago.  So when I woke up to a particularly cold and rainy day in London this week, I decided it was the perfect day to escape to Hogwarts (aka, the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, where guests can tour the actual sound stages where filming took place, complete with original sets, props and costumes used in the films) conveniently located just outside of Central London (and easily accessible by public transport!).

From the cupboard under the stairs, our tour took us to Hogwarts...

…where we arrived to a great feast in a delightfully decorated Great Hall.

Dumbledore and the rest of the faculty and staff were on hand.

Harry's original robes from the first film were on display in the Gryffindor section of the Hall.

Speaking of Harry's robes, here's his Invisibility Cloak in the Gryffindor Common Room

Dumbledore's office and Hagrid's Hut (fun fact, most of the canine actors that portrayed Hagrid's dog Fang were rescues!).

The Borough, home to the Weasley's and of course, Diagon Alley.

Getting to walk down this set was a treat!  Then we moved on to darker places...

Voldemort's robes were the only ones that were not made of heavy materials, they were made of silk so that they would be more dramatic.

Copies of the Daily Prophet, a few of the (many) letters inviting Harry to attend Hogwarts, and the Marauder's Map.

One of my favorites parts of the tour was seeing the original sketches and miniature models of the sets.

  

But the "showstopper" was the giant model of Hogwarts, used in the first seven films to depict the exterior of the castle.  The final film used a CGI version.

The lighting cycled from day to night, highlighting the amazing detail in the model, with twinkling lights and miniature owls tucked away.

I had a lovely (one might say magical) day in the world of Harry Potter.  If you enjoyed the series, I would highly recommend a visit.