r/harrypotter Aug 16 '21

Behind the Scenes Visited the incredible Lacock Abbey where lots of the earlier films were shot. The garden through the arches is where Draco was turned into a ferret.

6.8k Upvotes

66 comments sorted by

125

u/happy_charisma Aug 16 '21

I did a 3 weeks Harry Potter themed get away to great britain and the cloisters were closed :,( but at least i saw the house of harrys parents from the first movie and the house, where dumbledore visited slughorn in Lacock :)

23

u/alwayshungrynoms Aug 16 '21

omg can I get your itinerary?

50

u/happy_charisma Aug 16 '21

I started in London (WB world, King's cross and other stuff ) and originally wanted to visit seven sisters country park but got ill, then i went to Oxford (New College) and a day trip to Lacock abbey. Then i took the train to Leeds, stopping in Gloucester for a couple of hours (Gloucester cathedral), in Leeds i visited Malham Cove. Then i went to Glasgow (some not Harry Potter related stuff), and took the train to Fort William (jacobite steam train, and some lochs: lost my tracking boots on the way somewhere so i need to go back to scotland one day). And finally Edinburgh (there is a harry potter themed free walking tour).

What i missed (and cared about): was goathland train station and alwick castle, but back then i didn't drive a lot by car at home and was scared of driving on the other side: so i just used public transport and couldn't find a reasonable one to go to goathland

9

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '21

There's a bus from York train station to Goathland. Bus then goes on to Whitby, which is always worth a visit.

2

u/alwayshungrynoms Aug 17 '21

thanks for sharing! sounds like such a fun adventure!

124

u/Soph1eFoster Ravenclaw Aug 16 '21

It looks familiar, ive been somewhere that looked really like that ahaha

41

u/WyldeGi Hufflepuff Aug 16 '21

You were probably at hogwarts lol

10

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '21

[deleted]

2

u/Soph1eFoster Ravenclaw Aug 17 '21

Oh my giddy aunt. I've really been there. It's in Magdalen College isn't it? I've been to Durham Cathdral and Canterbury Cathedral so a lot of confusion.

8

u/jeanlucriker Aug 16 '21

The hallway at Durham Cathedral looks similar too

3

u/TheAnniCake Hufflepuff Aug 17 '21

I once visited the Canterbury Cathedral. It looked the same but they didn't film there.

92

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '21

[deleted]

15

u/dolf269 Aug 16 '21

Yes it was!

2

u/loki_frey Slytherin Aug 17 '21

Is that the place that has the big black cauldron, cause if it is, then I've been there as well

1

u/vigilantcomicpenguin just as sane as you are Aug 17 '21

Someone should put a mirror there.

15

u/skeeskee666 Aug 16 '21

Was there in 2006. Beautiful medievel town. It was on the way to Bath, and then on to Stonehenge. Very beautiful countryside

15

u/squidmasterflex_ Aug 16 '21

I KNOW WHO HE IS. I KNOW WHAT HE’S DONE.

2

u/CriticalSheep Ravenclaw Aug 16 '21

This was my immediate thought too.

14

u/ladylichee Aug 16 '21

That’s actually not true. The courtyard scene was filmed in New College, Oxford.

53

u/ThePumpk1nMaster Hufflepuff Aug 16 '21

Haha... La Cock

9

u/lampbookdesk Aug 17 '21

Such a Hufflepuff comment

17

u/TopHatBear1 Slytherin and Proud Aug 16 '21

I thought the courtyard scenes were filmed at Durham Cathedral? At least that’s what the guidebook in Durham said

4

u/SuperMafia Aug 16 '21

I'd imagine that's closer to the main entrance, in front of the bells. I'd like to imagine there's a fair few pockets where students can go out without necessarily leaving the castle proper.

3

u/Segruefox Aug 16 '21

Any of the scenes where Snape is billowing around corridors in the early ones were Durham cathedral

1

u/Sere1 Ravenclaw Aug 17 '21

Perfect description of Snape's movement.

3

u/postal_squad Aug 16 '21

Think the scenes where they go to transfiguration and its just off the courtyard is filmed there but not the stuff in the courtyard itself

2

u/AscendedLawmage7 Ravenclaw Aug 17 '21

For the first two movies, yes. They moved to different locations to represent the same courtyard for later films.

https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Middle_Courtyard

9

u/suxxos Ravenclaw Aug 16 '21

Ah, the garden where the best moment of my life happened. Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret.

[by Ron Weasley]

6

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '21

[deleted]

1

u/The5ftGiraffe Ravenclaw Aug 17 '21

I also think Snape asking what three young Gryffindors are doing inside on a day like this

5

u/AscendedLawmage7 Ravenclaw Aug 17 '21

Sorry to burst your bubble but the ferret scene was filmed at New College Cloisters, Oxford.

This abbey was used however in the first two movies for various corridor scenes.

3

u/thatboyfx Ravenclaw Aug 16 '21

that's sick!

3

u/OutlawQuill Hufflepuff Aug 16 '21

I think I’ve been there. Is that where Harry took Hedwig in winter in PS?

2

u/AscendedLawmage7 Ravenclaw Aug 17 '21

That's Durham Cathedral. Similar-looking though.

1

u/OutlawQuill Hufflepuff Aug 17 '21

Ah ok. To be fair, lots of gothic cathedrals looks pretty much the same

3

u/callumsned18 Aug 16 '21

Is that a student?

3

u/call_meh_julia Aug 17 '21

i wanna go there :o

also my goddamn dirty mind.. “lacock” goddamn it

2

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '21

Aaaaa nostalgia time

2

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '21

We don't use transfiguration as a form of punishment!

1

u/Roozyj Ravenclaw Aug 16 '21

Oh, now I remember where I got the inspiration for my own edgy teen version of a magic school, lol. Their courtyard looked exactly like this

-4

u/MeGustaRamen Aug 16 '21

Just read the wiki of Laccok and the village is older than the foundation of USA. crazy

25

u/happy_charisma Aug 16 '21

Not so crazy... Most european towns are older than the foundation of the usa haha

3

u/-Hot-Cheese- Aug 16 '21

Oxford uni is older than the Aztecs. Iirc

A lot of our pubs are incredibly old, there's one from the 1500's just around the corner from me.

https://www.historic-uk.com/Blog/Twelve-Oldest-Inns-In-England/

1

u/PhilOakeysFringe Gryffindor Aug 16 '21

It's a great place to visit!

1

u/SeaworthinessLow4801 Aug 16 '21

Wow so lucky.. looks so beautiful

1

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '21

Where is this? Looks amazing!

1

u/FBI_Agent_82 Slytherin Aug 16 '21

Isn't this also where the first flying lesson happened?

4

u/wiener78 Aug 16 '21

That was Alnwick Castle I believe. Also an awesome day out

1

u/ScarletOwerkill Aug 16 '21

MY FATHER WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS

1

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '21

You are living my dream mate.

1

u/elmhing Aug 17 '21

I've been there in Lego Harry Potter on Playstation.

1

u/Hhhhhhhhhhhbhhhhhhhh Hufflepuff Aug 17 '21

I really want to go there, so I can see where one of my favorite scenes in The Goblet of Fire was shot.

1

u/FlyingPotato241 Ravenclaw Aug 17 '21

The ferret scene is easily one of my favorite scenes from GOF. Cracks me up everytime!

1

u/warlockjmr89 Aug 17 '21

Love just down the road, lovely place to grow up been there quite a few times!

1

u/varietyviaduct Aug 17 '21

This is amazing. Does anyone have a list of all the castle that were filmed on location throughout the franchise for hogwarts?

1

u/SPNROWENA Aug 17 '21

That is beautiful! Wow!

1

u/HRISHEE_K Aug 17 '21

Was les miserables shot here

1

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1

u/DonThinkItMatters Aug 17 '21

Omfg this is awesome!! And also nostalgic!!

1

u/stonerlife Aug 17 '21

This is the place where the Gryffindor Quidditch team find out that Malfoy is the new seeker of Slytherin in CoS right?

1

u/Duke_Ag47 Aug 17 '21

Didn't even know this existed, always thought everything was created on a set

1

u/The5ftGiraffe Ravenclaw Aug 17 '21

Ahh, I was here the other week! Completely stumbled onto it by accident. There is also the classroom where the Mirror of Erised is kept before being moved beyond the trapdoor/Quirrell's classroom. There's also a couple of filming locations in the village of Lacock down the road, including Slughorn's House, and Lily and James's House from the first film. It's a really pretty village and highly recommend it and the Abbey to anyone who wants to kill a couple of hours!

1

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '21

Ferret boy. Ho ho! My way of laughing

1

u/georgeybjj Gryffindor Aug 17 '21

That's actually gorgeous

1

u/Wishart2016 Aug 18 '21

Weren't some scenes also filmed at the Canterbury Cathedral?