Wednesday was a brief break from London city centre itself. We headed off to the Warner Bros Studio Tour
The making of Harry Potter; it was the most expensive day out we had, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime-probably experience, so it was money well spent. And the whole day is a really magical experience if you're a Potter fan. From Privet Drive, to Hogwarts Castle, from the creature shop to the souvenir shop the day is a brilliant and enjoyable time for a fan. We spent ages wandering around gasping and calling each other over, we queued for the broomstick ride, we sat on the Express as the Dementors flew past and we spent ages just staring at the details on the scale model of Hogwarts. We wanted to watch the films one after another after the end; too bad we were at a holiday house and had left them at home. Bad Dobby. Bad Dobby. We shall have a marathon session this summer one day.
Anyway, it is a place best experienced in pictures and music, not words, so I shall let my little collection show you the fun we had. If you have any questions, let me know x
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| Entering Hogwarts; it's the original Great Hall set. You could hear people gasp when the doors opened. And plenty of children shouted "Sherbert Lemons!" hoping to make the door to Dumbledore's office open. |
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| The Burrow. I love the details like the flowers, the knitting, even the plates and mugs on the dresser. Magical domesticity; not unlike the domestic magic we all make at home and blog about! |
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| Real steam from a real steam engine. This is new this year and we have been told by all the cousins that they were well jel of us getting to see the Express. I didn't like to tell them that we actually saw it originally in 2004 at Railfest! |
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| There are interactive parts all along the tour, like this section where you sit and watch the landscape rush past on the way to Hogwarts. There are chocolate frogs, flying cars and the scariest popping up dementors I have ever met! |
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| The butterbeer was really sweet, with a marshmallow/ice cream topping designed to give you a moustache. We actually shared one because we'd been warned it was tooth-achingly sweet. Very cream soda-ish! |
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| Chocolate Frogs and Every Flavour beans; we bought both just so that we can leave the package around and have a little Potter Magic in the house! |
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| The model is brilliant, one of the last things you come across on the tour! We spent ages looking at this and the plans and concept paintings behind the actual creations. How do they think of this stuff? Who builds it? And did you know it took a team of 6 men 8 weeks to reassemble the model in its model hall home here? Impressive! |
Definitely putting this on my Places to Visit list - looks awesome! Big Harry Potter fans here - I'm thinking a movie marathon will be just the thing to put on the list of Things to Do this Summer if it's Raining.
ReplyDeleteWe have a few movie marathons planned. At half term we are going to do a Hobbita-Lord of the Rings athon. Apparently if we start at 7am one day we should be finished by tea the next day, since we're doing Director's cuts of them all.
DeleteSmall daughter and I worked our way through the whole set of books as bedtime reading last year and thoroughly enjoyed them (except for the Order of the Phoenix which we found distinctly tedious - we were ready to hand Sirius Black over to You Know Who ourselves!) so a trip to the Harry Potter studios is definitely on the list. We tried Butterbeer in America last year and it sounds like it was the same - very sweet and cream-soda-ish - but you can't go there and not try it! Glad you had a wonderful time, you've taken some great pictures! xx
ReplyDeleteOrder of the Phoenix was a bit of a time filler, I thought. But I suppose they couldn't just cut straight to Year 6, could they?
DeleteI am soooo jealous! I've been meaning to go for years but haven't saved the pennies yet. It looks fantastic. Was it very busy or not too bad? I really want to go one day - before my kids get too old! Judy.
ReplyDeleteNot too bad crowd wise, but the locals weren't on school holidays. As for age, as long as they are Potterologists age is just a number. My niece loves it, and she's a 24 year old teacher who has been twice and wants to go again now the Express is there!
DeleteIt looks fabulous. Eleanor's friend went to Harry Potter World in Orlando, we were there years before the book was even released, such a shame. My kids are too old to get the full experience of this now, but it doesn't stop me wanting to go. Glad you had such a good time. Make the most of everything you want to do with them before they get too old, believe me, time slips away, there's so much I wish I'd done with them when they were younger, it's just a shame that you never get round to doing everything.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about being too old; I think I got the full experience and I'm 46! I do know what you mean about doing as much with them now as I can; not so much because they won't enjoy things, as they will want to do things with people who aren't me. (the inevitable mates and girl/boyfriends who begin to take priority)
Deletewe went last summer and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteIt's fantastic isn't it. We went last year and as soon as the doors to the great hall opened I knew we'd be in for a real treat. We'd been warned about the butterbeer as well. Sharing one is definitely the right thing to do. xxx
ReplyDeleteI cried when they opened the doors. Seriously, I'm supposed to be a grown adult. But I slip into 8 year old mode very easily. Loved it. Every bit. But HP has been such a big part of my life as a Mum.
DeleteIt looks ace! I really want to go. S x
ReplyDeleteIf you ever need a friends to go with, I'll start saving now.... (and good to see you commenting!)
DeleteOh my goodness, I'm amazed at the content of this studio tour! My son would fall over himself to be able to visit!
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about HP but loved this post anyway knowing how excited you all were to see the things you've loved on film. I shall warn G about the beer just in case he does ever get there.
ReplyDeleteLisa x