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FOCUS - MARCH 2016 39 Warner has taken a page from the Disney book and only allows a small number of people inside at a time. A reservation will assure you entry so you can experience it all. Initially I thought a couple of hours would do me but once you are inside you can progress at your own pace. My early arrival time allowed me to stay all day however you cannot retrace your steps which means you have to take it all in as you leisurely stroll through the place. The adventure begins when you arrive at Victoria Station the starting point for the tour. They even have a place marked Platform 9 34 where you await your transport to the studio. The trip can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half depend- ing on London trafc but it doesnt matter as you begin your adventure as soon as you are guided to the bus. A double decker typical London bus is totally decked out in a Harry Potter wrap. Once inside the conductor takes your ticket and as soon as the journey begins video screens play the rst in- stallment of the Harry Potter lms. You become engulfed in the story and forget you are travelling through London. In fact I did not want to leave the bus as there were still a few min- utes left on the lm. Alas I have seen it before and I knew the ending so I decided to leave the coach and head for the entrance. Once inside I was greeted by a very friendly attendant who motioned me into a queue. Suddenly right in front of me was a staircase with the actual room where Harry spent most of his days when he lived with the Dursleys. It was not a replica not a scaled version but the actual room where all the lming had taken place. I was enchanted and hardly noticed three sets of massive doors open into a large hall. There an attendant explained that photos and video were allowed and then pro- ceeded to quiz everyone about Harry Potter. I was outdone by the younger generation who grew up with Harry Ron and Hermione and I soon real- ized as much as I felt they were part of my life it was nothing like kids who were engulfed by the characters. Another set of doors opened and as I walked through I found myself in Diagon Alley and all the magical shops seen in the lms. The most in- triguing was Ollivanders Wand shop which housed more than 4000 boxes of wands. The attention to detail was amazing and each box was care- fully detailed down to the name of its owner on the end ap. In actuality the names on the boxes were people who over the years had been part of the productions. The cobblestones on the road were real as were the weathered stones of the buildings. The only thing that was missing was the sky. It had been replaced with green screen in order to change the look in the magic land . .................... Hogwarts Castle as seen in the Harry Potter lms. ...................... Please turn to page 40