Kings Cross Station

During the Easter holidays I took my three girls for a flying visit to London to visit the Harry Potter studios in Watford.

Off to Hogwarts at Platform 9 and three quarters!

The train journey from Newcastle arrives in London at Kings Cross station which gave me the opportunity to see the spectacular canopy over the western concourse. The renovation was carried out by John McAslan & Partners, it is constructed of steel and glass and was voted 3rd in Elle Decoration's British Design Awards for 2012. It transforms what was a "dingy, overcrowded space into a cathedral of light".

spectacular fanned steel and glass canopy

structure of canopy with walkway to the side

unusual mosaic style covering underside of walkway

under side of curved walkway

traditional glass roof

Next stop the Harry Potter Studios near Watford!  Well worth a visit even if you aren't an avid Harry Potter fan!! These are the actual studios where the films were created and as such have all the sets and props from the films as well as a few opportunities for special effects rides on broomsticks and car rides!

 I particularly loved the intricate digital drawings for planning the set models for filming the scenes at Hogwarts, they are so beautiful and detailed!

detailed sections of Hogwarts Castle

Card model of part of Hogwarts

Part of the huge model of Hogwarts that fills a studio and you can walk around

Lower section of the model

The gang in front of the model to give an idea of its scale!

wooden model of the covered bridge at Hogwarts.

I also loved the detail that went into these three doors that featured in the films:

As I said, really worth a visit, the detail and continuity of all the props and sets is really quite breathtaking!