Harry Potter location – TAPE PARADE

Leadenhall Market is a beautiful 14th century covered market in the City of London. The distictinve red, cream, gold and green decor was designed all the way back in 1881. Though the colour scheme is the same all year round, it’s one of my favourite places to visit at Christmas because it lends itself so well to the festive colour scheme! I’ve been coming since I was 16 and I haven’t tired of it yet. The market is quite small and tucked away in the middle of the City, so it’s the kind of place that often gets held up as a “hidden gem” – these days it’s not so much of a fruit and veg market as it is a row of luxury shops and eateries.

I dragged along with me my most recent companion of choice; with him being a Harry Potter fan I was so excited to tell him that the market was the location for the Diagon Alley scenes in the first two films. Production moved to Borough Market after that but it’s still a must-see for any fan. Although to be honest, I’m not a massive fan and the giant Christmas tree, mulled wine sellers and gorgeous fairy lights make it such a perfect place to go anyway!

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I was recently invited on holiday to visit Gloucester and the Cotswolds. I went to Gloucester for a week of work last year but aside that have never visited that part of the country. Everybody was keen to tell me how Gloucester Cathedral is featured in the Harry Potter films. I swear half of England has been featured in those bloody films (I cannot stand them) but the Cathedral is certainly beautiful enough to have been attracting visitors long before Warner Bros and their merry gang rocked up.

I’m not a religious person but I have always been fascinated by sacred spaces. The precision, detail and sheer size of the buildings that have been constructed in the name of faith astounds me. The thing that particularly caught me in Gloucester Cathedral was the stained glass windows and the hazy watercolour lighting it created – soft and entrancing down elaborate corridors.

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