Another drawback was that each group had around 10 minutes in the Hall before being asked to move on so that the next tour group could experience the same awe when entering the empty Great Hall as we did. Thankfully you could go back into the Hall once the second group had entered and, as the rest of the Studio Tour is entirely self-directed, this allowed plenty of time to look at the costumes and props on display.
Costumes from my own house (according to Pottermore): Slytherin
I even managed to see some paintings on the walls of the Great Hall that I'd never noticed in the films before. I've watched the films back and they're definitely in there but are only just visible. It just shows the kind of effort and dedication that went into the making of films even when the details are not focused upon in the movies themselves.
The painting above the hourglasses is even authentically faded to make it look 1000 years old
Grinning in the Great Hall
From the Great Hall, you move into an impossibly enormous room (Undetectable Extension Charm, anyone?) holding a vast array of sets and props from all eight films. First up are the costumes and props from the Yule Ball (one of my personal highlights of the films). Again, I found things that I didn't remember from the films, despite seeing them many, many times, such as this magnificent ice-castle with jewel-coloured bottles of pumpkin juice:
Can I order one of these for my office's Christmas party?
You then pass an array of wigs (see if you can spot the box marked 'Wormtail/Pettigrew: chest wig x 1, spare chest wig x 1'!), costumes, a wall of Umbridge's Educational Decrees and the Hogwarts gate- complete with winged boars- before you reach a bizarre, barrel-shaped set.
Mystery barrel
From a distance I had no idea what this was as I couldn't read the sign, but it was surrounded by people and eventually I elbowed my way to the front. Inside the wooden exterior was.....
A barrel of beds!
The Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory! This set seemed minuscule considering that towards the end of the films they had to fit five teenage boys in here along with props and an owl!
Moving on from the dormitory, I saw the original Fat Lady portrait, the Mirror of Erised (it was impossible to get a decent photo of this due to the crowds!) and a slightly incongruous area surrounded by tall metal barriers that contained items from the Room of Requirement and other props. The next large set was the wonderful Gryffindor Common Room, complete with Neville's mimbulus mimbletonia in one corner! The sofa near the fireplace looked wonderfully inviting and I could easily imagine settling down for a bit of Arithmancy revision with a hot chocolate.
I tore myself away from the Common Room and made my way to the next major set- Dumbledore's Office.
The ghostly figure of Richard Harris's original costume stands on the stairway
Signs displaying facts about the films and sets can be found around the Studio Tour. A sign in front of Dumbledore's Office informs visitors that the books on the shelves in the Office are really covered phone books! I think Dumbledore would be quite amused with the idea of having fake books to trick nosy visitors to his Office!
You can even creep around the back of the set and peer in through a window to a back room behind Dumbledore's desk. Judging by the contents of the room, it's where Dumbledore would go to chill out on a sofa with his magical instruments and devices. Presumably after a busy day in his office working with other magical instruments and devices.
Please ignore the ghostly reflection of my hands!
Up next: Potions Classroom, The Burrow, Ministry of Magic and props, props, props!
Mystery barrel
From a distance I had no idea what this was as I couldn't read the sign, but it was surrounded by people and eventually I elbowed my way to the front. Inside the wooden exterior was.....
A barrel of beds!
The Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory! This set seemed minuscule considering that towards the end of the films they had to fit five teenage boys in here along with props and an owl!
Moving on from the dormitory, I saw the original Fat Lady portrait, the Mirror of Erised (it was impossible to get a decent photo of this due to the crowds!) and a slightly incongruous area surrounded by tall metal barriers that contained items from the Room of Requirement and other props. The next large set was the wonderful Gryffindor Common Room, complete with Neville's mimbulus mimbletonia in one corner! The sofa near the fireplace looked wonderfully inviting and I could easily imagine settling down for a bit of Arithmancy revision with a hot chocolate.
Maybe with a little firewhisky mixed in if it's a particularly cold night!
I tore myself away from the Common Room and made my way to the next major set- Dumbledore's Office.
The ghostly figure of Richard Harris's original costume stands on the stairway
Signs displaying facts about the films and sets can be found around the Studio Tour. A sign in front of Dumbledore's Office informs visitors that the books on the shelves in the Office are really covered phone books! I think Dumbledore would be quite amused with the idea of having fake books to trick nosy visitors to his Office!
You can even creep around the back of the set and peer in through a window to a back room behind Dumbledore's desk. Judging by the contents of the room, it's where Dumbledore would go to chill out on a sofa with his magical instruments and devices. Presumably after a busy day in his office working with other magical instruments and devices.
Please ignore the ghostly reflection of my hands!
Up next: Potions Classroom, The Burrow, Ministry of Magic and props, props, props!
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