In this part (Five) of our visit to the London Harry Potter Experience, we get to see Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Diagon Alley.
If you want to look at Part One of my visit, click here. Part Two is here. Part Three is here, and Part Four is here.
Let’s continue the tour.
Gringotts Wizarding Bank
The interior set for Gringotts Wizarding Bank is very large. It was used in several of the films. Very ornate, and feels a bit like an old stuffy bank at the same time.
The head banker or teller at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
The wardrobe and mask were used in the films. A very imposing head banker. I’m thinking you wouldn’t want to ask him for a loan unless you had some incredible magical collateral.
A teller in Gringotts Wizarding Bank
Most bank customers would have to deal with one of the tellers, but they sure look grim too. Again, these are the masks, hands and wardrobe used in the films.
The backside of the tellers’ counter.
Because they knew the movie cameras might be venturing to the backside of at least one of the counters, they had to finish off that part of the set too.
A magical bank vault within Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
A very intricate and magical locking mechanism.
Bellatrix Lestrange’s Vault.
This was the set for Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry and his friends had to venture into this vault to find one of the Horcruxes that was keeping he who shall not be named alive.
Did you say dragon?
This is the set, or part of it, that was destroyed by the dragon when Hermione set him free. The foreground is a set, the background was originally a green screen to add the dragon and more into the scene. Here, Warner Bros. put in a projection screen to give the illusion to visitors of being in the scene.
Diagon Alley set.
This is the set for Diagon Alley as seen in the films. The shop windows are also highly detailed.
Detailed shop windows.
Look at the top of Olivanders and see all the wand cases put there. Unlike the shops at the Universal theme parks, this is just an interior. No shop through the doors and you cannot purchase a wand here. There is a souvenir shop at the entrance and exit to the tour. Further down the street you can see the exterior of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes shop.
One of the “items” for sale in Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes.
Another one of the detailed set pieces, this time inside Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Of course, they were having a bit of fun in an adolescent way.
A yucky magical thing.
Only the set designers could come up with something like this in the dark humorous way the characters of the Weasley twins would think.
That’s it for this segment. If you missed out, here are the other stories from my trip to London:
A visit to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.
The Power of the Tower of London – Part One.
The Power of the Tower of London – Part 2 – The Crown Jewels and Torture.
Touring London’s Tower Bridge.
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