Christ Church College in Oxford is known for it’s architectural beauty, and history, as well as… Harry Potter! So let’s start there shall we! I found the most impressive Harry Potter site in England to be “the staircase”. The hall scenes, I really just don’t remember as well as the staircase. I think this is because, in it is equally impressive in real life as it was in the movie. I especially love how ornate the ceiling is; it makes it feel unbelievably magical.
The stairs lead up to the Great Hall. Although there are no actual scenes shot in the Great Hall, it is the main inspiration for the dining hall in Harry Potter. I do admit, I walked in expecting to find a much larger room than was actually there, but the details of the Great Hall still gave the feeling enchantment. I wonder if all the paintings on the walls were the inspiration for the living paintings lining the walls in the movie.
Doesn’t this look like a fireplace that you (not being a muggle of course) could use some Floo Powder on and hop on over to Diagon Alley! The cloisters were also used in the filming of Harry Potter.
Christ Church is just as beautiful and architecturally detailed as the rest of the college. There are many sections in the Church as well. It would have been interesting to attend a mass and see how things get mapped out. We did miss the choir practice when we went, so if that’s something you’re interested in make sure to get the times before hand.
If you would like more information about sites around Oxford where Harry Potter was filmed, click here. I wish we had seen this before we went!
