5 'Harry Potter Locations' That Are Completely Wrong
Search “Harry Potter locations London” and you’ll be sent, confidently, to places that had little or nothing to do with the films or the books. Some are honest mix-ups; some are just repeated until everyone believes them. As a tour that only takes people to genuine spots, we think you deserve the truth — and the best debunker of all is J.K. Rowling herself.
1. “Cecil Court is the real Diagon Alley” ❌
The most repeated myth in London — and Rowling has flattened it. Asked about the streets claiming to be her inspiration, she wrote: “No real street inspired Diagon Alley, I’m afraid. It came out of my head!” She’s even said she’d never seen most of the places that claim the honour. The clincher: “all locations in Potter are entirely imaginary bar one” — that one being 4 Privet Drive, based on a house she lived in as a child, cupboard under the stairs and all.
So Cecil Court, Goodwin’s Court, Victoria Street, the York Shambles — none were the inspiration, and none were filmed as Diagon Alley (which was a studio set). You can still enjoy walking down Cecil Court. Just know the real story is “no evidence — but here’s why the myth stuck,” which is a better tale anyway.
2. “Platform 9¾ is where they filmed it” ❌
The half-a-trolley-in-the-wall at King’s Cross is a lovely photo op — but it’s a fan feature now sitting inside the station by the shop, and it isn’t the filming location. The platform scenes were shot between platforms 4 and 5 (more photogenic than the real 9 and 10), behind the ticket barriers. Worth knowing before you queue.
3. “Australia House is Gringotts” ⚠️
Half-true, which is why it spreads. The lavish interior of Australia House on the Strand really was used as the Gringotts banking hall — but only in Philosopher’s Stone. For Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Warner Bros built and then spectacularly destroyed a Gringotts set at the studios, not the real building. So “Australia House is Gringotts in the films” is wrong; it’s Gringotts in one film, interior only.
4. “The red phone box is the Ministry of Magic entrance” ❌
On Great Scotland Yard, people point out a red telephone box as the visitors’ entrance to the Ministry. In reality it was a prop brought in for filming and removed afterwards, with a fake structure added to hide a real office door. There is no magical phone box to find.
5. “The Great Hall was filmed at Christ Church, Oxford” ⚠️
One of the most surprising. Students really do climb Christ Church’s grand stone staircase in the films — but the Great Hall itself was a purpose-built set at the studios, using Christ Church’s hall only as a visual reference. The giveaway: the real hall has three long tables, not four. Even official tourism pages blur this one.
So where should you actually go?
The genuine locations are out there — you just need someone who knows the difference. Our walking tour takes you only to the real spots, with actor-guides who separate fact from fan-fiction (and, yes, we’ll happily walk you past the “fakes” and tell you why the myths caught on).
For the properly-checked version, see our guide to every Harry Potter filming location in London, or listen to our WANDerlust podcast for more myth-busting — on Spotify here.