I'm an Edinburgh Harry Potter guide, I wanted a tour of London & chose Tour for Muggles because:
In fact Tour for Muggles has 12 guides, so it may be a little cut throat, I suspect guides with the greatest reviews win chances to work.
From the station it was fairly easy to find the starting point, although I was a little surprised that it would be somewhere so grim.
so I took a stroll to London Bridge.
If you arrive more than 20 minutes early I heartily recommend a walk from London bridge toward tower bridge along the Thames. The South bank is packed with sights, HMS Belfast, the onion, home of London council, the Tower of London opposite. And more.
Our guide was Ellie Lovegood cousin of Luna. This was a nice bit of whimsy that had one child believing she actually was.
She arrived with a Gryffindor scarf & vital flowery rucksack so this blogger couldnât lose her, and
I liked her almost instantly. She arrived caring for us but also with a take away tea in her hand, I thought thatâs so louche sheâs the Johnny Depp of tour guides. (Or the Grindelwald perhaps).
Lovegood was highly knowledgeable, probably passed her NEWTS, but said if she didn't know anything we'd all have a collective Google.
Having built up some courage, a purple-jacketed 8 year old girl asked âWhatâs Lunaâs like?â Ellie, amusing improviser that she is, was confunded for a moment, and needed the question repeated. Having had it clarified, Ellie laughed and explained it was for fun, her favourite character is Luna.
Sheâs a redhead so Iâd more readily think of the Weasleys, but Luna is a bit mental, and that probably resonates with actresses.
The little girl, uncomfortably embarrassed by her mistake, pointed at her Dad and blamed him, the Minister for Misinformation. Poor Goebbels.
Beware parents at the end of the tour you may need relationship counselling.
was an interesting place in itself. Much of London is noisy multi lane streets lined by concrete building. This felt like old London,
head down this alley and the market is crisscrossed by rail lines, the pleasant smells of fruit and street cooking.
Ellie said to come for lunch if youâve got a spare couple of hours, I guess thatâs the thing, the life of markets are a lot slower, and to be savoured, I fly through the Lidl self service checkouts, to get the blogs rolling out.
In the Prisoner of Azakbahn Harry goes on the run from the Dursleys for breaking wizarding law, jumps on the Knight bus, and this is where it deposits him.
The bus sets of a car alarm, Harry hustles into the Leaky Cauldron.
It continued to be used as the entrance to the Leaky cauldron in the latter darker films.
The knight bus was a 3 storey bus you can sleep on. The production grafted on an extra level and fitted an engine powerful enough to pull two tons of lead weight, which were added to prevent the bus from tipping over when going around corners.
The bus was fitted with sliding bedsteads, a swinging chandelier, and a now-iconic talking shrunken head â an addition to the films that J.K. Rowling approved of heartily, saying: âI wish Iâd thought of that.âPrisoner of Azkaban, and itâs new dark vision was JK Rowlingâs favourite film.
When the wobbly bus was driven here the film makerâs found the railway bridges that criss cross the area only permit 2 storey buses. The filmmaker's started frantically throwing things into a cauldon to conjure a magical solution.
This was probably my favourite stop because it connected British medieval mythology, with Draco Malfoyâs hand of glory. For visitors speaking English as a second language however, it was a test of fire. The connection takes a bit of scene setting and establishing before it can be made, and they thought they were being cheated with history.
Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers!You might say either âmy uncleâs in prisonâ, or âmy Uncleâs in the Clinkâ, it was a notorious hell.
London bridge once had a whole load of severed limbs and gibbets hanging from one end of it. It wasnât an easy place for criminal tourism.
From criminals like this, some enterprising folk would hack of their arm and with the help of pig fat. Well the hand of glory is a little different medieval history, if anything itâs worse, but you can clearly see what Rowlingâs imagination feasted upon. Fun!
Ellie is an actress so you get all the emoting you expect of a luvvie, giving the tour zing. I think thespians often have chips on their shoulders about their truthfulness, actors pretend all the time, consequently they spend their civvie lives compensating by spitting out âgenuinelyâ like theyâre munching through a whole packet of vomit flavoured Bertie Botts.
This is especially dense and amusing when Ellie hits gruesome medieval barbarism, which is so unbelievable.
Ellie, donât worry, youâre a Lovegood, we donât believe anything you say anyway.
In the opening sequence of Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince
It's known locally as the wobbly bridge, but it was called this before Harry Potter. Why? Tour secret.
Like many Harry Potter tours Ellie is marrying history, the most interesting things about the scene in front of you, with Harry Potter facts and trivia.
She pointed beyond Millenium bridge to Waterloo bridge which was bombed during World War II and rebuilt in 1943 by 80% women labour. It was known as the "women's bridge".
The ascent to Dumbledoreâs tower, and most fittingly to Professor Trelawneyâs divination class.
Architect Christopher Wrenâs St Paulâs cathedral was begun in 1675 and finally finished in 1710, but it was only 300 years later, with the filming of Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban, that it began to fulfil its original purpose.
Ellie told us she wasnât allowed to show us photos, not even film stills, from inside St Paul's or they would fine the company.
Iâm doubtful of this, inside St Paul's is majestic and I suspect they donât want to dilute the wide eye moment of awe that renders visitors spellbound. Or perhaps the church thinks Harry Potter is wicked and sinful witchcraft.
Iâm not so afraid.
Itâs like injecting wonder isnât it? Your heart just expands.
Sir Francis Drake was itâs captain, one of the most successful pirates ever, you can see a gold lion beneath the aft balcony. Queen Elizabeth wanted in and in exchange for 50% of the plunder he was licensed by Royalty. He was a very cool cat.
Although Ellie says his name produces groans amongst Spanish Potter fans.
In 1568 an early loss of most of Drakeâs pirate fleet in an Mexican port gave Drake a seething hatred of the Spanish and their King. So he set about raiding and pillaging them everywhere. He actually circumnavigated the globe and returned as the worldâs richest pirate.
Furious, King Philip of Spain placed a bounty of 20,000 ducats for Drakeâs headâthe equivalent of several million pounds today.
In 1587 Drake sailed into the Spanish port of Cadiz, burned 40 Spanish ships set to invade England, and proceeded to harass the whole Portuguese coastline. The Spanish nicknamed him âEl Draqueâ - âThe Dragonâ.
And Drake boasted he had "singed the King of Spain's beard".
In 1588 Drake helped save England from the invasion of King Philipâs Spanish armada.
Now a successful mayor of Navy port town Plymouth, Drake was playing a game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe. On being warned of the approach of the Spanish fleet, he remarked that there was plenty of time to finish the game and still beat the Spaniards.
And he did both.
Drake was so capable and feared as a naval commander his enemies began to be suspect him of witchcraft. Spanish sailors returning from the Armadaâs defeat were saying Drake âwas a devil, and no man!â
On the tour Ellie expanded on Drakeâs interest in the occult and his last adventure, a pursuit of Harry Potterâs Philosopherâs Stone.
So the Brothers Warner decided to film here during the day. At a cost of ÂŁ500,000 per hour to compensate commuters. Rather than at night when itâs shut.
Shooting took 5 hours. A small shaft of natural light is passed by Arthur Weasley during filming as he finishes descending some steps. It was cut from the final film.
Ellie suggested that we âpass through it and feel the money shining down upon usâ.
Waxing lyrical about the origin of aspects of the Potterverse purple girl asked her where caretaker Filch got his name?
Ellie: Argus Filch comes from Argus, an all seeing ancient Greek giant. You might remember the racing pulses as he strolled the corridors with Mrs Norris, his beloved assistant and cat.
While Filch, comes from filching, petty thieving, conjuring up the pickpockets of Oliver Twist. So Filch confiscated, didn't steal. But you can imagine students grumping in their common room...
What happened to your vomiting snackbox?
Argus Filched it.
Ellie has a joke for every stop and at this one...
Actors, what can you expect?
To be fair: Theresa May, much like Labour's Gordon Brown, is the child of a Church vicar. So ethical, but not the best to leave your children with.
Speaking about her favourite literary villains, Mrs May said she favoured Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series & Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes. She said: 'They are proper villains. I think it's good when you have a villain who you know is a villain.'Quick fact: when our first female prime minster Margaret Thatcher was visited by the then minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, Floo powdering into her fireplace, she thought it was an opposition plot to make her look mad and hurled him out the window. She wasn't called the Iron Lady for nothing.
The golden trio plucked ministry of magic employees of their hair here, to form polyjuice potion, for their daring visit. They also used the visitor's entrance inside a phone box. Dialing 62442, the text numbers for magic.
You might also recognise this street from Doctor Strange, where Cate Blanchett begins to fold the buildings like Origami.
Quick fact: Burke was an Irish man who murdered prostitutes and those who wouldn't be missed in Edinburgh. He stuffed their corpses in barrels and rolled them across the city, selling them to Robert Knox to dissect. Knox was a surgeon, who taught students of the finest medical school in Europe.
Next weâre visiting the home of Borgin and Burkes.
Itâs almost like I write Harry Potter tours isnât it?
This dark alley was originally inhabited by Fishers of the nearby Thames, in 1690 it became Goodwinâs Court. It survived the fire of London and a world War. Itâs what London used to look like everywhere. And the lamps are actually working gas lamps, if Dumbledore uses his putter-outer here, his fingers may be scorched as the flames shoot into it.
The alley is like stepping into a Tardis. The Georgian bowed windows were once the frontage of cloth shops crowded with eye catching displays, they actually had wooden shutters secured over them at night.
Larger streets nearby drew the shoppers and it gave way to theatre agents, their brass name plates, and knockers now gentrify the quiet street. Dawn Sedgwick at number 3 represents Simon âScottieâ Pegg and Doctor Who companion Catherine Tate.
Warner Brothers asked JK Rowling what Knockturn Alley looks like, apparently she said âI can show youâŚâ. And that's how it began.
To which Ellie replied âit could be, but we have lots of bookshops on this streetâ. It's actually nicknamed "Booksellers' Row".
Ms Lovegood asserts this is Diagon alley. Itâs narrow, 5 storey buildings and itâs geographic proximity to Knockturn alley does make it, itâs twin. But whereâs the diagonal my dear?
Thereâs neary a bend. And it all looks so neat and orderly, and 1894? That's saying it wasn't built till Dumbledore was in his second year at Hogwarts, that when Newt Scamander was born Diagon Alley was only 3 years old.
Please.
Victoria Street in Edinburgh, where I just happen to run Harry Potter tours, might beat it on commonalities. But I do admit I dig Cecil Streetâs lamps.
Ellie concluded
that she didnât have a leaky Cauldon to show us but the Byron would welcome a leak.
Well done Ms Lovegood.
And then it was the end. 'Genuinelyâ.
Ellie then gave us directions to the Harry Potter design exhibition MinaLima, 5 minutes walk away behind the Cursed Child theatre. With their experiential events, if you're with kids, or passionate about design, this is not to be missed.
Iâve no idea what the other London Harry Potter tours are like but I was amply happy with Ellie. I liked her lyricism in Westminster underground station and I admired her flexibility to talk on any topic - sheâs seen Cursed Child three times! Itâs also amusing listening to her spit balling with child-of-Goebbels. Although you may not have her on your tour.
I imagine I will in future be on other Harry Potter tours in London, now just taking a professional interest, but I donât expect Tour For Muggles to be easily beat.
Book Tour for MugglesBut don't forget me!
5 minutes from the tour end point is The Cursed Child's Palace theatre. Have a ball at the continuation of Harry's saga
11 minutes from the tour end point, around the corner from the Palace theatre is MinaLima a museum of Harry Potter design.
How to get the most out of the award strewn Warner Brothers Harry Potter studio tour.
A Complete guide to Kings Cross platform 9ž & its Harry Potter shop
Warner Brothers for various movie clips.
JK Rowling for some books, that are, you know, allright.
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