Discover Diagon Alley
There’s only one place to go when a Hogwarts student needs their school supplies and that’s Diagon Alley. The charming shopping street is home to Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Flourish and Blotts, Mr Mulpepper’s Apothecary and, of course, the famous Ollivanders wand shop.
The design of Diagon Alley was inspired by Charles Dickens’ descriptions of London, but after realising that few places look like a traditional 1800s London, Director Chris Columbus decided a set would have to be specifically built for filming.
Transforming the Set
The Diagon Alley set constantly changed throughout the film series and since its construction, walls have shifted, shop fronts have moved and entire buildings have been carefully tweaked. They even lean slightly to create the unique street featured throughout the film series!
Flea markets, junk shops and auctions were scoured for items to stock the shops, including cauldrons of all shapes and sizes. Each shop was carefully designed to bring Diagon Alley to life on-screen. Ollivanders wand shop even featured 17,000 wand boxes during filming, each individually labelled with numbers and runes!
Many of the Diagon Alley set pieces were also re-dressed for use in the snowy village of Hogsmeade for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. During our Hogwarts in the Snow feature at the Studio Tour, visitors will be able to learn more about filmmaking snow as fan-favourite sets, including Diagon Alley, are transformed for the festive season.
Introducing Mischief
The addition of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes meant that the set, which had previously followed a uniform, subdued colour and shape, became a lot more vibrant. Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes is designed to look like an 18th century shop with bright colours decorating the walls, furnishings and products. The shop took 13 months to build and hosts 120 individually designed products, all reflecting Fred and George’s mischievous sense of humour.
To enter Diagon Alley, wizards and witches had to use their wands to tap on a brick wall behind the Leaky Cauldron pub in a particular pattern. Here at the Studio Tour, however, visiting Diagon Alley is also available to Muggles. Walking down the enchanting, cobbled streets and looking into the mystical shopfronts is included in the price of your entry ticket!