Platform 9 And The Hogwarts Express
This is where Hogwarts students catch their train up to Scotland at the beginning of the term and travel back down on when the school year is over.
It was actually on platforms 4 and 5 that scenes for the films were recorded but if you try hard enough, you can find the entrance to Platform 9 ¾…if you know where to go!
Also here you will find the grand Victorian St. Pancras Station just next door.
The outer facade of St. Pancras was used for filming Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Harry and Ron decide to travel to school in a flying Ford Anglia when Harry cannot get through the barriers to the Hogwarts Express.
Learn More About The Historic City Of Oxford
Enjoyed learning about the buildings and sites in Oxford that played a starring role in the Harry Potter franchise? Keep expanding your knowledge of our beloved city with even more articles about the History of Oxford.
Alternatively, if youre between the ages of 13-24 and interested in exploring the actual city yourself, why not consider joining us for an academic summer course in Oxford?
Not only will you have the opportunity to explore these incredible sites and buildings for yourself, but, most importantly, youll get to experience an unforgettable learning experience here in the UK.
With over 40 academic courses to choose from, expert tutorial teaching from top academics, and the chance to learn in the UKs leading university theres so much to gain from a summer course with us.
Loch Shiel Hogwarts Lake
Loch Shiel
When a large and impressive body of water was called for, Loch Shiel in Scotland was held to be the perfect place. This is the location of the Black Lake in The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Half-Blood Prince, and its also the site of one of the challenges in the Triwizard Tournament from The Goblet of Fire.
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Hogwarts Library And Infirmary
A post shared by Jack on Nov 11, 2018 at 11:22am PST
Oxford Universitys famous Bodleian Library starred in three of the Harry Potter films. The medieval Duke Humfrey’s Library was used as the Hogwarts library and the elaborate fan-vaulted Divinity School became Hogwarts’ infirmary. Tour this historic place of learning and you’ll also be seeing where Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien once studied.
Durham Cathedral Interior Of Hogwarts
Durham Cathedral , Public Domain & Warner Bros. / MovieStillsDB)
If you want to know what it was like in one of the classrooms, then you might want to visit Durham Cathedral. The Chapter House was where Professor McGonagalls transfiguration classes took place.
The cloisters are also used as corridors at Hogwarts in various scenes.
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What Harry Potter Sites Can I Visit From York
Whilst York wasnt a filming location for Harry Potter, it does make a good base for a number of Harry Potter locations which you can visit on a day trip. These include:
- Malham Cove
- Goathland train station
- Durham Cathedral
If you do plan to visit York, see our guide to spending a weekend in York for more ideas.
Bonus: A Harry Potter Filming Location In Norway That Nobody Talks About
Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I love Norway, so I was delighted to discover that a small portion of the Half-Blood Prince features the snowy wonderlandy landscapes of this Scandinavian gem. According to a few sources, including this Norweigan newspaper, some crew members came to Norway to film scenes along the Rauma Railway between Oslo and the Fjords region to use as window/background shots for the Hogwarts Express. Specifically, they shot around Bjorli.
If you cant immediately recall this scene, let me help you! Remember Lavenders peak psychotic moment when she walked past Ron and Harrys train carriage and draws a big heart on the glass with her and Rons initials? Super kyuuute. Anyways, those snowy shots outside the window as she does this were shot in Norway.
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Harrow School Aka The Charms Classroom
Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
Swish and flick!
This is Professor Flitwicks Charms classroom, and yes, its located in an actual real school, in the Fourth Form room of Harrow School to be precise. You can book tours of it, although its a little out of the way in London. But, can you resist visiting the very space where Hermione uttered her iconic line its leviOsa, not levioSAAAA.
PS: the oak walls of this classroom have signatures lovingly carved in from former students.. including some you may know, like Winston Churchill.
Slug And Jiggers Apothecary
The Apothecary sells scales, potions and potion ingredients. The shop is quite fascinating despite its very bad smell . The inside includes barrels of slimy stuff on the floor, jars of herbs, dried roots and bright powders on the shelves, and bundles of feathers, strings of fangs and snarled claws hanging from the ceiling. Harry regularly buys ingredients, as well as his scales, from the Apothecary.
Some of the ingredients available are silver unicorn horns , glittery-black beetle eyes , and Dragon liver .
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Glencoe Argyll Scottish Highlands
The peaks and troughs of the lush Scottish Highlands made the perfect setting for much of the Quidditch scenes we see throughout the HP franchise. We also see this spot during the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Basically, if you see Harry taking a long detour on his Quidditch broom and flying through open landscapes and mountain scenes, you can be pretty sure the setting behind the scene is Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands.
The Boy Wizard Turns : Iconic Filming Locations From Harry Potter
With the Harry Potter reunion set to air in the UK on New Years Day, we thought wed take a look back at some of the iconic locations that make an appearance in the films. From gothic cathedrals and underground tunnels to London train stations and markets, these are some the iconic settings that made history in the Harry Potter film franchise.
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West Highland Train Line
The West Highland train line was opened in 1901 to connect rather remote parts of western Scotland. The train line runs from Glasgow and then branches off to terminate in either Oban or Mallaig.
This is considered one of the most scenic rail journeys in the UK, and even the world, as the train travels through scenic landscapes of mountains, lochs, rural farmland, heather moors, and small villages.
In Harry Potter, many of the filming locations we list can be seen from or are located near this train route including Rannoch Moor, Loch Shiel, the Glenfinnan Viaduct, and Loch Eilt. Scenes shot from and along this line were used throughout the films, especially in shots of the Hogwarts Express.
For instance in the movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the Hogwarts Express is seen traveling between Corrour and Rannoch stations through Rannoch Moor. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the Death Eaters board the train around this same area.
Corrour train station features in the 1996 movie Trainspotting. Corrour is an interesting spot just because it is the highest railway point in the UK and it is also one of the most remote train stations. Corrour is only accessible by train, or by hiking as the nearest road is 17 miles away!
Durham Cathedral Durham City
Notable Films: The Philosophers Stone and The Chamber of Secrets
The Romanesque architecture of Durham Cathedral played a central role in the first two Harry Potter films and with its vaulted ceilings, arched windows and dark corridors we can see why. Fan will remember the cathedrals cloister from The Philosophers Stone, which acted as the backdrop for the snowy scene where Harry releases his owl, Hedwig, and from The Chamber of Secrets, where the Chapter House features as Professor McGonagalls classroom.
Free to visit , Durham Cathedral is open year-round and takes centre stage in multiple Wizarding World-themed tours in the local area. durhamcathedral.co.uk
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Top Sights Where Harry Potter Was Filmed
Harry Potter’s story is set in a magical, largely fictional Britain, but the film series used many real locations as evocative backdrops. Other settings, like Diagon Alley, exist only at Leavesden Film Studios .
Many of the real-life filming sites are closed to visitors, far out of the way for most travelers, or an unmagical disappointment in person for all but the most committed fan. But plenty of locations are worth visiting for their own sake these are my top picks.
London
Harry first realizes his wizard powers in The Sorcerer’s Stone when talking with a snake at the London Zoo’s Reptile House.
When Hagrid takes Harry shopping for school supplies, they enter the glass-roofed Leadenhall Market and approach the storefront at 42 Bull’s Head Passage the entrance to The Leaky Cauldron pub .
Harry catches the Hogwarts Express train at King’s Cross Station. Inside the glass-roofed train station, on a pedestrian sky bridge over the tracks, Hagrid gives Harry a train ticket. Harry finds his way to the magical platform 9¾ with some help, but these days it’s well-signed, with a luggage cart that looks like it’s disappearing into the wall, and a cleverly located gift shop. Expect a 30-minute wait for a photo with the cart.
In The Prisoner of Azkaban , The Leaky Cauldron’s exterior was shot on rough-looking Stoney Street, at the southeast edge of Borough Market, near The Market Porter pub. En route there, the Knight Bus squeezes between Muggle buses on Lambeth Bridge .
Near Bath
Magical Oxford Harry Potter Locations You Must Visit
So, here are the best Oxford Harry Potter filming locations and places that you can visit in this ancient university city.
Its a great range of cloisters, courtyards, colleges, and libraries that will transport you straight into the Wizarding World.
Its important to check each location before you visit to ensure that they will be open and have tours available to the public that day.
They are working academic buildings and are sometimes closed off to the public. Here are the best Oxford Harry Potter locations!
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Other Iconic London Landmarks
Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
When the Order of the Phoenix comes to rescue Harry, they go for a fun little ride over the Thames and pass a bunch of iconic London landmarks, including Canary Wharf, the HMS Belfast , the Palace of Westminster and a few bridges. If you follow this sequence, the way they fly is pretty ridiculous and doesnt make a ton of sense, but nonetheless thats movie magic for ya
Likewise, in Half-Blood Prince, when the Death Eaters go on their murdery rampage around London, you see quite a few iconic London spots as well. For instance, in the overhead view of the Thames as they rush into the scene, youll actually see the London Eye in the lower right side if you look hard enough, which means the Houses of Parliament are found diagonally across.
The Ministry Of Magic
The entrance to the Ministry of Magic was also filmed in London, using Great Scotland Yard, a street in Westminster.
This street is seen in the Order of the Phoenix and also in Deathly Hallows Part 1.
As claimed on a blog, the filmmakers had to GCI the telephone box into the landscape that transports witches and wizards to the Ministry – so you won’t be able to spot it in real life.
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The Courtyard And The Giant Oak Tree
Remember the scene where Mad-Eye Moody turns Malfoy into a cute white ferret, something McGonagall completely disapproved of ? Malfoy is sitting on a gigantic oak tree.
This famous tree can be found in the New College courtyard quadrangle . The colleges cloisters, with arched stone tunnels and impressive architecture, were used for the movies.
Many other scenes were filmed here too, including the one where Harry pushes through students wearing the Potter stinks badges to speak to Cedric.
Where to see this filming location:
Founded by William of Wykeham in 1379, New College is one of the constituent colleges that make up Oxford University in the United Kingdom. The
The Top Harry Potter Filming Locations In The Uk
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If youve watched the Harry Potter films, youve probably enjoyed seeing some of the spectacular landscapes, scenery, and properties on the screen. You might now be wondering where Harry Potter was filmed and if you can visit these sites in the UK.
Well, were here to help! Weve visited many of the the real world Harry Potter filming locations in England and Scotland, as well as the actual filming studio where the other scenes were put together.
Based on our experiences, we wanted to share with you some of our favourite Harry Potter filming locations to help you plan your own magical experience.
Contents:
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Near Abbotsbury Swannery Aka The Area Near The Burrow
This is a very random filming location because only about 2 minutes of footage was shot here, using entirely body doubles because the actual scenes where you can see the actors was shot in the studio BUT nonetheless, I wanted this list to be complete. This big field of reeds stood in for the land on which the Burrow is built, you know just before it gets burnt to the ground .
According to the Dorset Echo, filming took place in November 2007 for this short clip, a feat that required 100 production staff present! If thats not a hint at just how big these film budgets were, I dont know what is
Magical Congress Of The United States Of America
The Magical Congress of the United States of America is the magical body in charge of governing the wizarding population of the United States of America. It is led by the President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. Unlike the No-Maj United States Congress, which is divided into a House of Representatives and a Senate, the MACUSA is unicameral. The MACUSA is located within the Woolworth Building in downtown New York City and spans hundreds of stories.
Newt Scamander visited the building in the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, when he was brought in by Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein for threatening the Statute of Secrecy by using magic in front of Jacob Kowalski, a No-Maj.
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Christ Church: Dining Hall
The final university building which is so commonly associated with the Harry Potter films is Christ Church College. With three sites featuring in the film franchise, visitors will be pleased to know that just a single entrance fee to the College covers your visit to see all of them.
First on the list of Harry Potter filming locations in Christ Church College to visit and, quite possibly, the most famous location of all is the Dining Hall, which mirrors the Great Hall used in Hogwarts.
It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didnt simply open on to heaven.
Contrary to popular belief, no filming actually took place in the famous Christ Church Dining Hall. However, it did serve as an immense inspiration for Hogwarts very own Great Hall.
+ Magical Oxford Harry Potter Locations You Must Visit
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Okay muggles and magical folk, did you know that there are some Oxford Harry Potter filming locations you can visit?
The production team used colleges, cloisters and libraries in this historic city for five of the Harry Potter movies.
So, if you have ever wanted to feel like youve been transported straight into Hogwarts, then you must make a visit to the City of Dreaming Spires in England.
Here are the most magical Oxford Harry Potter filming locations & attractions you must visit!
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Black Park Buckinghamshire Aka The Forbidden Forest
Appeared in: Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Okay, so the truth is, the Forbidden Forest scenes were filmed on a specially built set for the majority of the films with the notable exception of the FIRST film because it was more affordable to just film on location. And so, Black Park in Buckinghamshire was chosen as the spot. While this is just a simple park, and you wont expect to see any um dead unicorns, valiant centaurs or anything else while lurking around, its still a nice enough park to stroll through.
Black Park was later used for a few small scenes throughout the franchise, notably in Goblet of Fire when Hagrid brings Harry to see the dragons before the first Triwizard Challenge, and we get a glimpse into the romantic flirtations of Hagrid and Madame Maxine.
Also in Order of the Phoenix, when they get off the train and go to the thestral-pulled carriages, and at the end when the students are leaving and Harry says that iconic line we have one thing that Voldemort doesnt have.. a nose. NO JK he says something worth fighting for, but Id always wished he said a nose. *sigh* Why didnt I write the script?