If
you enjoyed the films, books or have an interest in the magic behind film
making then this activity is for you. If
you are a diehard HP fan, than this is a must.
Tickets must be purchased in
advance (you cannot buy them there) and it’s not cheap. Adults (16+) £28;
Children (5-15) £21; Under 4’s Free; Family (either 2 adults and 2 children or
1 adult and 3 children) £83. It’s relatively easy to get to from central London
– Train from Euston to Watford Junction takes 20 minutes and then there is a
special WB coach that will take you from there to the studio. We went by car – easy to find, well sign
posted and new, large parking spaces.
We
opted for a family ticket and also the headsets that have a guided tour by Tom
Felton (Draco Malfoy in the films) which was an additional cost. You don’t absolutely need the guided tour as there
is plenty of information and video clips at each exhibition but it was great to
hear the voice of one of the characters and some of the behind the scenes
stories. There are a lot of staff members
around to answer your questions – many of them were extras in the film or have
had a chance to meet some of the actors so it is worthwhile chatting with
them. I’d suggest waiting to buy the
guide book until the end – you might like it as a souvenir but it’s not
necessary for the tour.
There
are two sound stages J and K which were purposely built after filming finished
( and named in honour of JK Rowling) to
house this permanent exhibition. You begin
the tour with a short video from the actors and then you get to wander around
the Great Hall. In the first building,
you’ll see many of the sets you recognise from the film and learn more about
each director. Highlights included the
dorm room in Gryffindor tower, Dumbledore’s office and a chance to ride a broom
in front of a green screen (and then see what you really look like flying!) Be
sure to take time to read all the intricate detail on the Weasley Wizarding
Wheezes products. My favourite was the Weasely house – dishes washing
themselves, knitting needles making a sweater and the famous clock with all the
hands pointed at mortal peril.
In
between the sound stages they’ve displayed the outside sets – number 4 Privet
Drive, the Knight bus and Sirius’ motorcycle. You can get your picture taken in
front of and on these props. You can also buy some refreshments. A glass of Butter beer was £2.50. We bought one to try but since no one liked
it (it tasted a bit like sweet American cream soda) we left ¾ of a glass on one
of the outside tables along with several other unfinished glasses.
In
Studio K, you learn more about the special effects and creatures that were
created for each film. There is a life-sized model of Hogwarts castle that is
amazing and a room that had a wand box with the names of every person who was
involved in all the productions on them.
Of
course at the end there is a gift shop (as well as a café and Starbucks that
you can visit upon entry or exit.) The gift shop had a tremendous range of
things in various price ranges so it is possible to get something that’s £5
(time turner key ring) £20-30 (magic wands, etc.) or collectors’
items that are more expensive. They also had a nice selection of sweets –
chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott’s beans – that you’d recognise from the films.
T-shirts, mugs, books, stuffed animals – there is bound to be something for
everyone.
Allow
yourself at least 3 hours for the tour – there is a lot to see and if you want
to have your photo taken in the flying car and on a broom, you’ll need to queue
for that which took us about 20 minutes ( although there is a lot to look at
while you wait.) My only disappointment was that you cannot get a DVD with your
broom flight only a still photo (although you’ll see what it looks like on the
screen when you’re doing it.) Our children are 10 and 14 years old and enjoyed
the day. I would not recommend it for
children younger than 7 as they may get bored unless that are Potter devotees. We
came home and watched one of the movies on DVD with a whole new perspective.
By
Pat Keener
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