The other film location we visited was Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, which played the part of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the first two Harry Potter films. (It was electronically enhanced with added towers in the movies.) The Percy family, Earls and Dukes of Northumberland, have lived in Alnwick Castle since 1309; the current Duke and Duchess of Northumberland live there today, and we walked through some rooms that are obviously lived in--it felt like trespassing. It was unbelievable how posh the interiors of a 1096 castle could be! Alnwick (pronounced like "panic") was also a filming location for the Cate Blanchett movie Elizabeth and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
Above I'm standing at the entrance of the castle (which features prominently in the first Harry Potter movie-- when the kids first enter Hogwarts). Below, Jacob is entering the black forest; he's standing where Hagrid's house was in the first movie.
I mentioned the Percy family living at Alnwick for centuries, and some of you might be wondering what I was wondering--is this the Percy family that includes Harry Hotspur (who featured prominently in Shakespeare's Henry IV plays)? Yes it is! Below I'm hanging out with a statue of Harry Hotspur at the castle.
1 comment:
I don't think I would have recognized this castle as Hogwarts if you hadn't told me.
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