Posted by Alan Hakim on December 10, 2004 at 06:45:27 from 212.137.171.153 user awhakim.
In Reply to: Harry Potter in Lakeland District? posted by Ed Kiser on December 10, 2004 at 05:46:07:
I believe that most of the landscape shots are in the Scottish Highlands. The aerial views of the Hogwarts Express are on the North Yorkshire Moors preserved railway, though the scenes at King's Cross in London are authentic. Except that they have used the mainline platforms, since they are more impressive. Platforms 9 and 10 are in a sort of Annexe building for suburban trains. And there is now a Platform 9¾ – just a notice fixed to a blank wall by the entrance to the annexe. You will usually find a group of tourists (often Japanese) having their photos taken below it.
An article in my paper last week said there is now half a luggage trolley going "through" the wall, so that someone can be pushing it in their photo.
Hogwarts itself – the real exterior shots as opposed to the CGI ones – are Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, while the interior Gothic corridors are the cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral. And yes, tourist visits to Alnwick have gone up massively, even though it's a long way from most parts of UK.
Regrettably, even if you sit through the numerous end-credits, the film tells you little of this.