Harry Potter Filming Locations in Oxford, England
Y’all know how much I love Harry Potter! Now that I live in England, I have the opportunity to travel to all the Harry Potter filming locations.. and I am!! Oxford is one of the most significant Harry Potter filming locations, multiple scenes and movies were shot in one of England’s most picturesque cities.
In fact, Oxford is home to multiple filming locations in multiple movies.
Everything from Transformers: The Last Knight to X-Men: First Class to The Golden Compass and even Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond, Tomorrow Never Dies.
FIVE MUST-VISIT HARRY POTTER FILMING LOCATIONS
You can take a day trip to Oxford from London or you can spend a few days here and enjoy all that the city has to offer… which is A LOT!
Harry Potter Filming Locations in Oxford
Getting immersed in the history of Oxford and the university and the literary history of Oxford’s famous writer residents is exhausting, invigorating, and beautiful.
It’s easy to see why the producers chose Oxford as a filming location and why J.K. Rowling used some Oxford features as inspiration in her books. (Fun Fact: J.K. Rowling took entrance exams for the University of Oxford and didn’t get accepted).
Take note, the University of Oxford is not just one university. It is made up of 38 different colleges throughout the city. Most colleges have visiting hours, but they are limited and can close to the public at a moment’s notice. ALWAYS check the website for closures to avoid disappointment.
Christ Church
If you only have the chance to visit one college at the University of Oxford, make sure it’s Christ Church… in fact, out of all the Harry Potter filming locations in Oxford, make sure you visit Christ Church!
It has two Harry Potter filming locations, one MAJOR Harry Potter inspiration, and the architecture is beautiful.
Did you know 13 prime ministers can call themselves alumni of this academic establishment?! It’s also one of the largest colleges in the city and houses the cathedral that gives Oxford its city status.
Entry Fee: £8-£10 per person (depending on the time of the year)
I recommend purchasing tickets in advance because the line to get in is HUGE! This will help you fast-track the line and choose your entry time. You can also check to make sure the hall or cathedral will be open to avoid disappointment.
With your ticket, you can tour the cathedral, quads, cloisters, dining hall, and the hall staircase. The visitor entrance is accessed through the Meadow Gate.
*Tickets can be purchased the Thursday before the week you are going.
Great Hall
The dining hall at Christ Church serves as the inspiration for the great hall in the movies.
The producers wanted to film here, however, the hall was not wide enough for four long tables (only three could fit), so the hall was recreated in the studio.
And check out all those portraits hanging from the wall…. look familiar?
Fun Fact: The students STILL eat here! WHAT?!
Entrance Staircase
This is the VERY FIRST glimpse of the interior of Hogwarts you get in the movie.
All the students walk in and it follows them up these stairs to meet Professor McGonagall while she explains the house system.
Fun Fact: This is actually the entrance to the hall in real life (not just the movie)!!
It also makes an appearance in the Chamber of Secrets. Right after Ron and Harry crash the Ford into the whomping willow and they throw their bags down and run up these stairs, only to be stopped by an unpleasant Mr. Filch.
Cloisters
I love the detailed ceilings in these cloisters… don’t forget to look up or you might miss it!
You’ll walk through the cloisters to and from the cathedral, so you won’t miss them!
The most notable scene that the cloisters here make an appearance, is in the Sorcerer’s Stone. After Harry is made Gryffindor’s new seeker and Hermione shows Harry the Quidditch trophy with Harry’s father’s name on it.
New College
Definitely not “new” this college was founded in 1379, this is also one of the largest colleges in Oxford with a little over 400 undergrads.
The dining hall is definitely worth a visit, it’s not a filming location, but it is the oldest hall in Oxford and will still give you the Harry Potter feels, and if you walk through to the quad, you can see the gardens and the 12th city wall that runs along the side of the college.
Entry fee: £5.00 per person. Free during the winter season.
The access point is located at the end of New College Lane, which is the street that runs under the Bridge of Sighs. This is not as busy as Christ Church and you can easily purchase tickets the day of at the entrance.
Cloisters
You will see plenty of cloister scenes in all the movies. They are all filmed throughout England.
They will even walk down a hallway at Lacock Abbey and then turn the corner in Gloucester Cathedral, and you probably wouldn’t even know unless you went to those locations and noticed how different they actually are.
This set of cloisters was used in multiple movies, with little snippets here and there.
Most notably in Goblet of Fire, the courtyard of the cloisters was used during the scene with Malfoy sitting in the oak tree, taunting Harry until Mad Eye Moody turns him into a ferret.
Bodleian Library
This library is the second largest in the country (next to the British Library) with over 13 million books, because of its copyright status, the library has received every book printed in the UK since 1610 (yep, even the terrible ones).
The Divinity School
This grand building is the oldest teaching hall. It was used as a testing and lecture hall. Students would enter on exam day and the teacher would verbally give each student the test (in Latin), the student would then give their answer (in Latin). Rough!
All of the infirmary scenes were filmed here… remember when Harry had to regrow his bones here, or Hermione was petrified by the Basilisk?! But it wasn’t just used as the hospital…. in Goblet of Fire, Professor McGonagall teaches Ron how to dance in here before the Yule Ball.
Entry Fee: £2.50 per person
If you can’t make it on the Duke Humfrey’s Library tour, then you can visit the Divinity School on its own. They will always have tickets available even if it’s later on in the day.
Duke Humfrey’s Library
The library is located above the Divinity School and is home to priceless first editions and unique manuscripts.
The books are alarmed, but can be taken off the shelf by a librarian and read by the students that have a readers pass…. that’s ANY book, even the very first dictionary (before the Oxford dictionary)!!
Some of the books are chained, just like in the Harry Potter movies, however, the real books are chained on the cover and not the binding as shown in the movies.
All the library scenes from the movies were filmed here… including iconic ones like when Harry gets his invisibility cloak and is searching the library for Nicholas Flammel information, only to be disturbed by Mr. Filch or when the trio is looking for information about the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets.
The only way to visit Duke Humfrey’s Library is through a guided tour.
The Divinity School is included in the tour. You can take a 30-minute, 60-minute, or 90-minute tour.
If you’re pressed for time on a day trip, then the 30-minute tour will give you plenty of info and picture ops in the Divinity School.
You CANNOT take photos in the library and you have to leave your bag in a locked box in the foyer area.
You can purchase select tour tickets in advance, otherwise it is first come, first serve. You need to get there EARLY if you want to book a tour, especially the 30-minute tour.
Entry Fee: £6.00 for a 30-minute tour
You can book your tickets here, on the official website.
Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is the birthplace and home of Winston Churchill and a filming location for multiple movies, including Spectre, Cinderella, and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.
The scene filmed here actually has nothing to do with the palace, but the grounds.
If you walk around the lake then you’ll find a hollow oak tree that made a brief appearance in Order of the Phoenix during a Snape flashback.
You know… the one where James Potter is seen taunting and bullying a young Snape by hanging him upside down from the tree.
It’s definitely worth the visit to the house and the Harry Potter filming location is an added bonus.
Turf Tavern
Not a filming location, but a hidden bar that was a popular hot spot with the cast and crew while they were filming in town!
It takes some effort to find this place, but it’s worth it.
Look for the Bridge of Sighs on New College Lane and just past the bridge on the left is a small alleyway called St. Helen’s Passage. Walk down the tiny alley that looks like it goes nowhere and you will end up at the Turf.
Have you visited a Harry Potter filming location? Have you been to any Harry Potter filming locations in Oxford? Lemme know in the comments below!
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