Harry Potter | A History of Magic

British Library

My visit to the British Library coincided with my visit to Palace Theatre where I watched both parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, as well as hopping over to the House of MinaLima (AGAIN!) to gaze at the gorgeous prints from the films.

The Exhibition is organised by the magical subjects that Harry studied at Hogwarts School; Potions, Alchemy, Charms, Astronomy, Divination, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures. Each of the areas were filled with rare and ancient books and objects, as well as some interesting Potter history.

My favourite aspects of the Exhibition…were the original handwritten notes and typed drafts that were penned by J.K. Rowling herself. The alternative chapters that were edited out and not included in the finished manuscript were fascinating. There was an extract where Hagrid has a conversation with the Muggle Prime Minister! And to top things off his name is Fudge! Another of these discarded excerpts was the flying Ford Anglia crashing into the Lake where Harry and Ron are saved by the Merpeople- this was of course later changed to the Whomping Willow.

My absolute favourite item that is included in the Exhibition is Rowling’s handwritten plan for Order of the Phoenix. The chapter-by-chapter timeline had me transfixed as my eyes followed the storyline from the meeting of the Order, Harry’s dreams, culminating in the Battle in the Department of Mysteries. Rowling had multiple columns with each of them detailing a certain enduring aspect in the novel, such as the movements of the Order, and the time-frame concerning the prophecy.

Other personal items from Rowling include:

Annotated sketch of Hogwarts, complete with the giant squid that lives in the lake.

Rowling’s handwritten list of teachers and subjects.

Rowling’s sketches of the Dursleys and Professor Sprout (the BBC’s documentary A History of Magic gives explanation to the meaning behind her sketch of Sprout which is very poignant).

The British Library have pulled together an extraordinary amount of artefacts that fit in to the various school subjects. The best example of Rowling being inspired by history is the Ripley Scroll. A six-metre-long alchemical manuscript that describes how to make the Philosopher’s Stone, from the sixteenth century. This is also accompanied by the tombstone of a certain Nicholas Flamel. Flamel developed a reputation for having discovered the Philosopher’s Stone and achieved immortality. This tombstone is a fascinating object and it is incredible to think how old it is, yet looks in pristine condition.

Chinese Oracle Bones are the oldest datable items in the British Library. One of the bones has intricate markings on that details a lunar eclipse that is PRECISELY dated to the 27th December 1192 BC!

Vincent Coronelli’s globe from 1693 is a gorgeous item, that has exquisite detail of ancient constellations, some of which share names with familiar characters from Harry Potter; Sirius, Draco, Remus and Bellatrix. I have a particular penchant for timepieces, maps and globes that I delve into when I worked at Bloomsbury given that the British Museum was just around the corner. Therefore, Coroneli’s globe fascinated me and I spent a good 5 minutes solely orbiting this item and looking at different angles and the details he included. There is also a technological interactive element to this item which is great for the kids.

The tour is a wonderful thing for Potterheads. The half hour slot is more of a guideline as you can peruse the rooms for as long as you want, and it doesn’t matter if you turn up early as they might let you in. I could have stayed for a long time as the objects were extremely interesting, and it was delightful to see how they fitted into Rowling’s wizarding world, and to see where she got her inspiration from.

Let me know if you have been to the Exhibition? What was your favourite part? Or are you going in 2018?

The BBC Documentary, Harry Potter: A History of Magic, is available on the iPlayer until the 23rd January 2018.

The British Library Exhibition runs until the 28th February 2018, if you can get a ticket, you MUST!