Harry Potter

So this weekend, a mere 9 months after his birthday we finally got ourselves to Harry Potter.  Vera very kindly put us up for the weekend.  We headed straight to Lancaster from school (after a very rapidly put together assembly about Edinburgh).  First stop was Nami Sushi for tea (becoming a bit of a tradition...) before getting the train down to London.  Then a hasty turn around to get the train back out again to Bushey, where Vera lives.  Vera wasn't actually at home as she was singing at a gig, she gave us instructions to find her hidden keys, which we did and we made ourselves at home.  Tom went straight to bed (he was tired as he had had two long nights in a row - with Sierra and Jack having had a sleepover at ours on Thursday night due to Steph and John going to an awards ceremony in Manchester)

Vera got home about 11pm, so we had a chat and then went to bed.  Think we were all shattered.

Saturday morning we had to be up early.  I had to wake Tom up! Our tickets were for 9am, so we got up and went straight out of the house for the studios.  Vera very kindly took us.  We were greeted with freezing fog, not nice, a good day to be inside I think.  We got there for 8.30 and thought we would be the first ones there, oh no, there were plenty already waiting.  This place was big, very big.  We got our tickets and then headed to the food hall where we got some breakfast (rather nice sausage baguette.  They did a breakfast yorkie - now there's an idea - have never seen one up here - but a great idea - saw plenty going out!)  We then headed in.  First of all we saw a couple of films with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson etc welcoming us and telling us what a wonderful time we were going to have.  Then the screen rolled up revealing a big door.  Those people who had birthdays were asked to the front.  We had been warned about this and as this was a birthday treat we told Tom he was perfectly within his right to go to the front.  He did and he got to open the grand doors to the Big Hall.  It was huge, and was decorated for Halloween, so pumpkins were floating and bobbing up and down and there was a Halloween feast on the tables - lots of sweets etc.   There were also mannequins of the teachers exhibiting their costumes from the film.

Bath taps from the prefects' bathroom

 We then walked into a huge room where there were loads of sets and models from the films, including the wonderful tap from the prefects bathroom, the Gryffindor Common Room, the boys' dorm, Dumbledoors office, the potions classroom complete with self stirring cauldrons and Hagrid's house.  All the cups and trophies from the various films were there too, including the golden eggs from the Triwizard tournament.  There was even a table with a 'chocolate feast' on it, which of course I tried to scrutinise.

Dodgy Wizards

We then hit the green screens area where you could have your photo taken as a wizard.  We got our robes: Tom went for Gryffindor, Matt Slytherin and I went Hufflepuff.  We then had a 'wanted' poster taken.  Tom then got to mount a broomstick, had his photo taken in various poses and then had a video taken with him flying through the skies of the UK: over Scotland, London etc etc.  We bought 2 photos.  

Tom playing Quidditch

Then we learnt about how they filmed quidditch - looked great fun!  We very much got the impression that these were great, fun films to work on.  Either as an actor or production member.  The amount of effort they went to to make sure that every little detail was perfect was tremendous.  Next we saw the whomping willow thumping the Ford Anglia from the second film.

As it was Halloween, the studio tour had a 'Dark Arts' bent, and when we headed into the Dark Arts area there was a participatory show where children got to learn how to hold and swish a wand and then some Death Eaters appeared through some glass and they had to have duel.  Luckily the children had been well trained and defeated them - phew!

Before tasting it!

Next stop was the Forbidden Forest where we came across Aragog the MASSIVE spider and all his friends (and there were many of them!) they all suddenly came to life as we walked past.  We also were introduced to Buckbeak who was gorgeous and very proud looking.  We all respectively bowed to him and he bowed back.  By now were were beginning to get tired and thirsty.  The next bit was Kings Cross Station and the Hogwart's Express, but we skipped through it to the cafe next door so we could get refreshed.  As it was almost lunchtime, we decided to get some lunch as well.  There was also a bar selling Butterbeer.  Well this is the only place we would ever be able to get it, so we got 3 glasses.  The food was average, but the butterbeer wasn't...it was truly awful.  Not sure what it was, but my take on it was that it was tasteless fizzy sweet juice topped with aerated cream.  It was truly disgusting which all of us were in agreement with.  However, it cost over £12 for 3 glasses, so we drank it (when I say we, Tom refused, so I drank his!)  

We then headed back to the Kings Cross Station area and enjoyed the Hogwarts Express, we went on board and managed to push the station trolley half way through the wall to platform 9¾.  We then went in the station shop - lots of lovely memorabilia but the prices were astronomical?!  Over £50 for a hoodie, £8 for a patch, £100 for a pair of Hogwarts Express book ends.  We were shocked and stunned and left without purchasing anything!

Triple decker bus and threatening sky!

We then passed through the cafe and headed to an outdoors courtyard, within which was the triple decker bus and 4 Privet Drive.  Funny fact: the producers looked everywhere for the most mundane street in the country for the setting of the Dursley's house.  They ended up in Bracknell - didn't surprise me - just confirms that that part of the country truly is dull!!!!!  Loved the attention to detail - there were Dudley's certificates framed in the hall way of the house 'Head Teachers Award' for 'Finishing his lunch' and a swimming distance award of 5 meters.  The triple decker bus was actually made from 3 double decker buses.  They made two, one of which does actually works!

We then headed into the second part of the tour which started with demonstrations of how they did the head make up of the goblins, how they used digital technology for Dobbie.  All really interesting.  We then headed into Gringotts - wow, wow, wow.  It was amazing!  They had the full sized set there and it looked very very decadent.  

Gringotts Bank

The next area took us through how they made it - so interesting, and so much attention to detail.  If I was 20 years younger, I might look into becoming a set designer - looked so much fun, and you got the impression that no expense was spared.

The next set was Gringotts during and after it got destroyed by a dragon which was very realistic.  See here: https://youtu.be/G5NfDVQpoao

Diagon Ally

From there we were channelled into Diagon Alley which looked amazing.  Here Tom got chosen to blow up a shop sign - which he did - just as well he was taught how to swish his wand earlier on.  Then a Death Eater came out so he had to fight again - he did well!  The Weasley's shop was open which meant we could see their pucking pastilles in action - cool and revolting in one!

Next stop was a huge scale model of Hogwarts Castle.  This was massive and very impressive.  They had a time lapse film showing how they put it together - it took 40 days.  Not sure what they made it from, but it looked amazing.
And that folks, was the end of the tour.  Phew!  Of course the tour ended in a gift shop and it was a VERY BIG gift shop, but mainly it was a VERY EXPENSIVE gift shop.  Prices were insane, so neither me nor Matt bought anything.  We gave Tom £10 and he managed to find 2 £5 items (a poster and a keyring with Buckbeak on it) - must have been the two cheapest items in the shop.

We then had a refreshment break before heading out into the rain.  We got a bus to Watford Junction and then a local train to Bushey.  Matt and Tom then did a spot of trainspotting whilst I headed back to Vera's as I knew she was cooking for us and I wanted to help her.  I was right, so I jumped in and helped by making pudding and gravy.  We had a very pleasant roast dinner for tea.

Sunday we all had a lie in and then Vera took us to the Doll's House on Harrow-on-the-Hill for breakfast.  We saw Gaucho's which is now a rather nice looking bar.  The restaurant had a good view over the rooftops of outer London and as it was a clear, sunny day we got a good view.  After breakfast we went to see Treetops - it looks just how I remember it.

Vera then took us to Harrow and Wealdstone Station where we got on board a train to Euston.  We then went for a ride on a route master bus into the centre of the city, had tea and a bun and then returned in time for our train back.  We got home on time, tired but happy.

Thank you to Bob, Pat, Jude & Craig for the tickets - we had a fab day and special thanks to Vera for looking after us so well and acting as our personal chauffeur for the weekend.  Much appreciated.