With World Book Day coming up I am sure that Harry Potter is a popular choice for dressing up as. Wizard costumes are quite simple and can be utilised for so many of the characters including Harry Potter, Hermione Jean Granger, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy. My boys were sent a wizard costume each from Fun Shack* and they most certainly had fun when we visited Gloucester Cathedral, which is where some of the filming of Harry Potter took place.

Harry Potter and Gloucester Cathedral

Gloucester Cathedral was used as a location to film some parts of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Gloucester Cathedral – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

The north side of the Cloisters was used for the scene where the troll smashed up the girls’ toilets and trapped Hermione. The south side doubled as a corridor in Gryffindor, with the door at the west end of the passage being the entrance to the Common Room. This is also where the lady in the oil painting asks for the password. A scene which was filmed but unfortunately cut was with Rik Mayall as a playful poltergeist Peeves who set all the broomsticks zooming about in the East Cloister walk.

Gloucester Cathedral – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The east wall at the end of the north walk is where the fateful words ‘The chamber of secrets has been opened’ appeared, written in blood. Just a few paces from here the red door in Dark Entry in the north-eastern corner of the cloisters, is where Moaning Myrtle flooded the toilets. Water from a tanker outside pumped the water through the doorway into a specially constructed container and out into a drain the Garth. There are still marks from the adhesive tape which held the container in place.

Gloucester Cathedral – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The west walk was used in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Harry and Ron stood on the ledge just by the door through to the Coffee Shop. Harry also hides in the Lavatorium, at the dramatic moment where he overhears Snape saying he has already taken the unbreakable vow.

Wizard Costumes from Fun Shack

The boys had their costumes from Fun Shack who provide a wonderful array of children and adult costumes in a variety of sizes. The costumes were really good quality and each wizard costume came with a cloak and wand. They arrived well-packaged in their own waterproof bags. The costumes are not just one size fits all – with my 6 year old having a medium and my 8 year old having a large. We then very simply made some glasses out of cardboard – because of course they both wanted to be Harry Potter. Not forgetting a bit of face-paint for the famous scar.

The boys had lots of fun wearing their costumes out to Gloucester Cathedral and they had a very popular response from strangers to them. They loved to just have pretend wand fights play magic tag, cast spells and generally let their imaginations run wild. They have already asked if these costumes can be used for Halloween too!

I have to admit that it is more the films than the books since visiting The Harry Potter Studio Tour that they boys are interested in being wizards – but hopefully as they age their interest in the books will grow. There is certainly a lot more missing details in them.

You may also be interested in Tips for Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Orlando

*We were sent 2 costumes for my boys to wear for World Book Day. No other financial compensation has been given. Opinions expressed are honest and my own.