Unsurprisingly, one of my favourite places to visit in England is without a doubt the WB Studio Tour also known as the “The Making of Harry Potter”.
Located in Watford about an hour outside of London is the sprawling film studio set. From the outside, you wouldn’t guess what magic lies within.
Kind of like the Chamber of Secrets…. but less dreadful.
This is where the eight Harry Potter films were shot and these studios were used as a base for bringing this magical world to life. The sets, costumes, decor and every tiny detail is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It completely makes me fall in love with the magical world every time I visit.
And as a lifelong Harry Potter fan, going to the London studios is something I aim to do every few years. In the past two years I’ve luckily managed to visit the studios twice! Once per year sounds incredibly wonderful to me so it’s what I’m aiming to do from here on out.
I am so glad that they decided to keep these sets upon filming so that we could all someday enjoy them to the fullest extent that we do now.
Some of my favourite things about the studios include walking into The Great Hall for the first time, glimpses at the costumes they wore during filming, exploring the Forbidden Forest, tasting Butterbeer (spoiler alert – it’s much better at Universal Studios in Orlando) boarding the train and of course, popping into Diagon Alley. There are so many amazing props and sets along the way that you can’t help but spend hours on the tour exploring it all.
Visiting the studios is deeply personal for me – and for so many others. It lets us all step into a place that I hold incredibly dear to my heart, the wizarding world. And wandering through the tour and getting a glimpse of the magic is an incredible experience.
And great news on the horizon, the WB Studio Tour website has just reopened to purchase tickets for the rest of 2021 in line with COVID guidelines. We visited in October of 2020 so masks and social distancing were in place on during that most recent visit. I expect they’ll keep these guidelines for the foreseeable future too.
10 reasons you need to visit the WB Studio Tour
The Great Hall
The magic never gets old. It’s such a wonderful experience getting to walk through the giant doors and into setting known as The Great Hall. You could easily imagine popping in here for breakfast in the morning or tea in the evening.
Depending on the time of year you visit, the Great Hall at the studios will be decorated differently. My favourite time to visit is Christmas – it’s gorgeous! But on this particular occasion we visited during a Celebration of Slytherin. Green adorned the Great Hall which is essentially what it was any year that Dumbledore didn’t award last minute house points to Gryffindor.
I usually spend far too much time in the Great Hall… but you’ll find that’s a theme of the day when I visit.
A peek at the Yule Ball
At Christmastime you’ll find this Yule Ball table in the Great Hall… but the rest of the year, the ice sculpture lives just outside the Great Hall. I cannot explain why I love this display, though I think visually you’ll find your answer.
Considering it is my lifelong ambition to attend some sort of extravagant ball or gala I have a very large soft spot for all things Yule Ball related… for now a gal can dream.
I also love that the costumes the characters wore that are on display here too!
The Gryffindor Common Room (and the boys dormitory)
Someday I have no doubt that I will properly turn my living room into a Common Room. In fact, I’ve already started onto my Hogwarts decor within our place, creating my own Ravenclaw Common Room themed office/closet. But that’s a blog post for another day.
Gryffindor Tower is a place we spend so much time in the series and it brings about a cosy, welcoming vibe to it. It’s enough to give an interior designer the perfect warming inspiration.
And then venture up into the boys dormitory. It’s wild to see the set up close and personal because the space is tiny. As a girl who never shared a room growing up, I can tell you, I don’t think I would have enjoyed sharing this size dorm with even one other person. But it’s quite cool to see Harry’s trunk and all the boys’ things strewn about. Wizards, they’re messy just like us! Or maybe that’s just me.
The Potions Classroom
I think if there was ever a class I could actually be good at, it’s potions. Simply because it requires no magical ability other than ingredients. However, I’m not the best cook so perhaps that’s a bit ambitious of me.
Either way, I love the setup of the potions classroom. The vials, bottles, cauldrons. It’s very dark academia vibes and I’m here for it.
Dumbledore’s Office
If there was ever an office in the world that we would want to pop into, I’m sure it would be Albus Dumbledore’s office. Even if I was about to be told off for detentions or breaking fifty school rules… it would be worth it.
I love Dumbledore’s Office for many reasons. I love the seemingly endless bookshelves, the pensive, the Tudor windows. You can definitely see why the Hogwarts teachers lived at the school. At least, for the most part I think they did.
Platform 9 3/4
Of course, you have to stop for the perfect photo opportunity at Platform 9 3/4! The real trick would be if I could properly disappear through the wall and end up boarding the Hogwarts Express like Harry Potter and his pals.
We can dream!
Also looking back on this photo makes me laugh a little. The majority of photos I took are “back shots” as I have my mask on – a pretty starry one though. And I remember specifically not touching the trolley cart handles here too! Visiting the studio with COVID regulations doesn’t dampen the mood or fun whatsoever, it’s just about being mindful and considerate to others around you.
Gringotts
It’s almost impossible to break into… and even though Harry, Ron and Hermione did rob this bank in particular…. I would still absolutely store my wizarding money in the Gringotts bank if I was a witch (still waiting on my official Hogwarts letter…).
And I have to say, I love the recent Gringotts Bank addition to the WB Studio tour. In fact, so much has changed since I visited “The Making of Harry Potter” for the very first time in 2013.
You can read my original (and very cheesy) post here.
Walk through Diagon Alley
This is as close as it gets to a real wizarding street and I fall in love every time I get to this part of the tour. Stroll down Diagon Alley and peek into Flourish and Blotts or Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. Naturally, a wand at Ollivander’s is essential too. Honestly, I dream of Diagon Alley coming to life as a bustling hidden London gem.
And in a way… it is. If you visit the Universal Studios which is also one of my all time favourites, you get to stroll into shops and restaurants. The only telltale sign that you’re NOT in London is the undeniably sunny weather.
Hogwarts
While there’s so much to love about the WB Studio Tour, it’s true toss up between the live Diagon Alley set and visiting the incredible model of Hogwarts.
Every time I step into this room, I tear up, just the tiniest bit every time. In the books and films, we know that Hogwarts is truly Harry’s home and for readers, getting to Hogwarts whether through the pages, studio or even the castle in Orlando, Florida, it feels magical. It’s the swell of the music that accompanies you walking in, it’s quite simply, magical.
The very incredible Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
And then in the blink of an eye, although realistically four hours have passed, it’s time to leave the WB Studio Tour set.
But I always try to remember when I leave… It’s not goodbye, not really.
Kelly xoxo