Radio Times Reviews Leavesdens’ Hogwarts Express Expansion

A few lucky contest winners were able to take a sneak peak at Leavesden Studio’s rather large and steamy addition. One of the lucky ones was a writer for Radio Times, who was happy to share her experience. She writes:

The Hogwarts Express has finally pulled into Platform 9 ^3/4, and some very lucky competition winners and I are running through a magical wall to see it before the rest of the Muggle world. The sign for Platform 9 ^3/4 looms overhead and as we chug excitedly towards it there’s a tiny hint of Dementor-induced dread. When you’ve been waiting almost 20 years to hop aboard that magical train to Hogwarts your hopes are rather high.

Any speculative trepidation is well and truly sorted as we stroll through the arch and onto Harry Potter’s magical platform, where the original Hogwarts Express is shining, steaming and screaming in all its crimson glory.

And to make things even more magical, we’ve been given the first tickets to ride on a magical trip down movie memory lane.

Each of the little cabins are perfectly preserved, taking us – much like Kennilworthy Whisp’s iconic Quidditch title – through the ages, from Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone all the way to The Deathly Hallows.

From Lavender Brown’s iconic declaration of train window love for her “Won Won” to the tattered suitcases and empty sweet wrappers, everything is exactly as Harry, Ron and Hermione left it. You’d be forgiven for thinking they’d just nipped off to the loo.

A little further down the surprisingly narrow corridor there’s even an opportunity to have a sneak peek at the mouth-watering train trolley. From pumpkin pasties to chocolate frogs, it’s teeming with magical treats we’d love to eat. Some of the delightful delicacies are on offer in the station shop, which sits beside a trio of magical wall-shattering trolleys. Putting your feet up in the comfort of a Hogwarts Express cabin isn’t a bad way to take the weight off: the fact that you can watch the wizarding world fly by outside your window is an added bonus.