Harry Potter - The darker Side

As you wander round the exhibition, enjoying the fun of seeing the scenery and props that you know so well from the films, it feels oddly dark in places.

Like Borgin and Burkes shop in Diagon Alley, full of skulls and other parts of dead people,

Or the statues of magical wizards crushing other species in the Evil Ministry of magic.

It felt rather horrible to stand in front of the scene where the dark wizards (eerily faceless in the scenario), gathered in Malfoy Manor, watch Nagini the snake go to attack along the table while the dead/ dying body of Charity Burbage hangs from the ceiling above them... and hear little kids of about 7 or 8 rush along in front of you shouting "COOL!" It's not cool - its torture, evil and dictatorship - that's not cool.

It even felt wrong to take a picture of it, but I was trying to record the whole experience for someone so I did.

I think that, apart from a quick tour of the shop (which feels like a continuation of the exhibition- it's so beautifully presented), that's about it. So last one coming up soon!

Harry Potter - The Creature Workshop

A very full and creative place, where all the models and creatures are made.

Masks of faces and plants for the herbology department

Fawkes the Phoenix

A biting book, which really bites when you press the button

Merpeople

Hedwig

Dementors

Venomous Tentacular

And many more, with a series of walk-through videos from Warwick Davis.

Harry Potter Exhibition - fake shop goods on display

I don't mean fake like in counterfeit, but these display cases are laid out like they are shop windows and are full of props made for the film.

I really wanted to buy some of the money when it came to the real shop but, even though there are piles of it everywhere on display, you can only spend an absolute fortune on a posh set of three in a 'don't touch' kind of case.

Harry Potter- Diagon Alley Shop Windows

As promised, here are some of the shop windows in the Harry Potter Exhibition - from Diagon Alley.

I wish I could have gone into some of these shops

Gringott's bank

The whole place looks so old and dusty

Does anyone want an owl or a toad?

I am a real sucker for luggage

Flourish and Blotts

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was definitely the brightest shop there and couldn't be missed.

It's a pity I can't upload a video of the model bloke in the doorway, endlessly puking into a bucket to entice punters to buy the Puking Pastilles.

Actually, when you get to the real shop, it feels a lot like this and like you're still in the exhibition at the same time.

Harry Potter - Outdoor Sets

Here are some of the props and scenes from the outdoor lot at the Harry Potter Exhibition

The Knight Bus

Letters arriving at Privet Drive

Privet Drive

The Bridge/Cloister thing at Hogwarts

The house in Godrick's Hollow where Harry lived with his parents

And the Flying Car Harry and Ron stole to get to Hogwarts in book 2.

You can go in all of these (although only to stand on the back footplate of the Knight bus) and also sit on Sirius' motorbike.

Next time the shops and then, lastly, the darker side of the exhibition.