«The Harry Potter Universe»: Film Location Tour

«The Harry Potter Universe»: Film Location Tour

The Harry Potter Universe is the fictional reality in which Harry Potter lives. It is similar to our reality except that magic exists and other minor geographical and historical differences. It was created by J. K. Rowling and is showcased in the Harry Potter series.

Picket Post Close was the real-life location for the filming of 4 Privet Drive in the first Harry Potter film. 12 Picket Post Close is the house number of the residents Warner Brothers used for filming the Dursleys' house. Warner Brothers had to pay the residents of Picket Post Close a fee for using their neighborhood in the film, as well as for the inconvenience of all the filming equipment. When it came time to shoot the second film, it was decided it was easier to shoot at Leavesden Studios where an actual Privet Drive set was built. Picket Post Close was used in the first and fifth films.

King's Cross Station is considered one of the main train stations to serve London, England. Students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry take the scarlet steam engine named the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts from Platform 9¾ on 1 September at 11 AM sharp. It also serves as a major intercity and commuter rail hub for Muggles going to North London or Yorkshire and the North East and Scotland. At the real King's Cross, there is half of a luggage cart in the western departures concourse, and there is a sign that says Platform 9¾ so tourists can take pictures as if they are disappearing into the barrier. When writing the Harry Potter books, J. K. Rowling was thinking of Euston train station when she was describing platforms 9 and 10. There is nothing between platforms 9 and 10 at the real King's Cross - the platforms exist either side of two parallel railway lines, hence why during the films, platforms 3 and 4 are used.

Famous Oxford University, the oldest and most prestigious university in the world. Christ Church is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. The Great Hall of the Christ Church was replicated in the film studios to create Hogwart's Hall. As Harry and the new first-years enter Hogwarts they are greeted by Professor McGonagall. This scene was shot on the 16th century staircase which leads up to the Great Hall. The cloisters in Christ Church were first built 1000 years ago. This ancient vintage made them the ideal setting for various scenes. It is here that Harry is shown the trophy his father won as a seeker in Quidditch.

Millennium Bridge where the Death Eaters swept around the bridge and cause the muggles to fall in the river in 'Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince'. It is located between Southwark Bridge (downstream) and Blackfriars Railway Bridge (upstream). The bridge is owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation. Construction of the bridge began in 1998, with the opening on 10 June 2000.

Lacock Abbey in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire, England, was founded in the early 13th century by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, as a nunnery of the Augustinian order. Some interior sequences in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were filmed at Lacock, including the cloister walk where Harry freed Dobby. During four days in October 2007 Lacock was also used to film some scenes for the sixth Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince".

Alnwick Castle is a castle and stately home in the town of the same name in the English county of Northumberland. Use of the Alnwick castle in Harry Potter movies includes the interior and exterior locations of the castle and the castle is rated high among all historical building of the world.