Tucked away in the heart of London is a narrow cobblestone alley. It is lined with large windows to shops that appear to be 
closed. The alley, called Goodwin’s Court, is surprisingly quiet considering it’s only about a mile from Westminster Abbey, a quarter mile from Leicester Square, and less than a mile from some of the most prominent museums in the city including the British Museum and the Museum of London. Even if it’s your first time in London, Goodwin’s Court might look familiar to you. That’s because it was J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Knockturn Alley in the Harry Potter movies. The original plan was for Warner Brothers to actually use the alley as a set, but it was too narrow. Instead, they photographed every inch of it and rebuilt the alley at the Warner Brother’s Studio. Diagonally across from Goodwin’s Court sits the less-secluded Cecil Court. This is where J.K. Rowling envisioned Diagon Alley. These two little streets go unnoticed every day, and yet they were so incredibly important to the most famous book series to ever come out of England. Across one of the many bridges that cross over the Thames River (you could take the Millennium Bridge, which was used in the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) sits Borough Market. Hardly a local secret, Borough Market is made up of vendors selling every kind of food imaginable, as well as flowers, herbs, handmade soaps, and so much more. This collection of merchants was J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Hogsmeade. London is infused with all things Harry Potter, but getting to stand in the same place where J.K. Rowling stood as she was writing the best-selling series of all time was incredibly surreal. If you’re looking for more fun Harry Potter sites, you can visit Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station, but be prepared to wait in line. You can also see the Australia House, which was used as Gringotts Bank in the filming of Harry Potter. You could go on a tour of Warner Brother’s Studio for £40, but if you’d like to save your money in order to buy copious amounts of Harry Potter souvenirs, I’d opt to take one of the many Harry Potter Walking Tours offered in London. They cost roughly £10 for about two and a half hours, but the sites you’ll see will be priceless.
-Brianna Mott