A guide to the architecture of Harry Potter and the Wizarding World

Few places that have been the offspring of fantasy fiction in recent decades are as iconic as Hogwarts Castle and its distinctive silhouette. In addition to representing in the collective imagination a place where anyone can find redemption from the ordinary Muggle world, its architecture (which draws heavily from Gothic and, even more so, Neo-Gothic) represents for many the definition of the “impenetrable castle”. 

Before Harry Potter, the fantasy scene was dominated by The Lord of the Rings and its “high fantasy” model, with medieval castles equipped with ramparts, battlements, loopholes, moats and towers, no one would have imagined such a visual upheaval. On the other hand, the Harry Potter saga, through the author’s texts (first) and the films of the saga (later) play with elements of urban fantasy with very strong 19th century influences: hence, the great proximity to Neo-Gothic.

The stone structure made up of high towers, vaulted ceilings and pointed arches in many cases gives the thickness of the architectural material a weight that is anything but massive, on the contrary: at Hogwarts, the architectural structures based on the “voids” created by the stone seem to be as light as the wind that supports the flight of brooms, without detracting from the sure concreteness of the thick walls of warm-coloured bricks.

Each stone is rich in history and each individual walking through the corridors is ready to write, among many others, his own. Because of this, the entire building exudes memory, respect and fulfilled dreams. If one were to draw a parallel with the real world, the atmosphere one breathes is reminiscent of the oldest colleges in England, as well as views of Edinburgh. But, drawing heavily from a style that has shaped the appearance of Britain (and beyond) for several centuries, many other examples could be given.

Speaking of lightness and flying brooms... at least a mention must be made of Quidditch and the stadium dedicated to it, visible from many points in the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Symbol within a symbol, the Hogwarts stadium has a special place in the hearts of all fans of the saga, partly because it was there that Harry achieved one of his first successes, winning the Golden Snitch, and partly because its architecture is truly irresistible. Quidditch is a three-dimensional sport in the truest sense of the word, frenetic and fascinating. As such, the playing field is delineated by boundaries along the three dimensions of space, and by a few marks on the ground and objects extruded from it. Although they do not follow the full height of the brooms, the grandstands provide a good view of every point that can be reached in the air, further enhanced by the towers of the houses behind them, which touch the sky just like the lower (but still imposing) structures of the school.

The impact in visual terms is extraordinary, as the emptiness of the playing field is delimited only by the fullness of the stands, the towers and very few white lines on the turf. As they hurtle at very high speed from one side of the pitch to the other, the members of the two teams have the objective of scoring as many points as possible by passing the ball inside one of the three circles placed behind the opponent's goalkeeper. In addition to the game’s clashes, which in part seem reminiscent of Calcio Fiorentino, the spectators’ eyes dart even further between the (few) landmarks in search of two special players: the searchers of both teams, i.e. the ones in charge of collecting the golden snitch, a gesture that in practice leads the team to victory. 

If it is true that stadiums have long been the nerve centre of a people’s culture, Quidditch is no different: it tells the story of the students’ lives beyond the academic culture, showing how entertainment is carried on at Hogwarts with (if possible) even greater commitment than the rest.

The magical world conceived by J.K. Rowling does not solely consist of Hogwarts. There are many distinctive settings that make the world unforgettable, and a special place is definitely reserved to Diagon Alley. Here, we find the merchant Ollivander and his shop, one of Harry’s fist encounters in the world of wizard and witches and where he buys his wand. Diagon Alley is a neighborhood of London that is only accessible by those who can have the ability of going from the “muggle” world to the magical one.

What makes this place unique, besides the cohesiveness of lights, sounds, and colors, is the peculiar urban architecture of the movie set. The whole set, build in the London Leadenhall Market, (which was also used for the musical film Les Miserables) recreates a space that merges a medieval hamlet, with its low, closely spaced buildings with projecting stories, to the Art Deco characteristic decorations as well as the London distinctive dark bricks, whose color contrasts the massive white building of the Gringotts Bank on the background.

The Gringott’s Bank, one of the most famous banks ever, deserves a mention of its own. The massive façade made of light marble and bronze stands out from the very first shot of  the movie, when Harry and Hagrid walk down the street in Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Right from the outset, we know that this is a place hard to access and extremely well protected. This building is mentioned several times throughout the series, but the most memorable scene is surely the theft of the Hufflepuff Cup.

In the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the three friends cross the great halls where the bank employees work first, then the suggestive rocky caverns that lead to the higher-security vaults. The light seeping through from above in the imposing entrance makes the bank seem like a Gothic cathedral, adding a hint of sacredness to the very elegant interior spaces. However, in the movie, the frantic escape on the suspended tracks with Griphook as a hostage reveals the peculiar beauty of the less exposed side of the bank: the huge stalactites and stalagmites scattered around the gigantic cavern makes the audience rescale the characters within such grandiose space and leaves them even more breathless throughout the whole scene.

We must mention the Ministry of Magic for its architectural importance. Just like the Gringotts, even this building has to do with the more “adult” aspect of the saga and this can be seen in its much more austere, less colorful and less jovial aspect. The dark wood walls, the green fires from which the wizards come through and leave from, and the golden emblem of the ministry are the only visibly recognizable colors, while there is no way to concretely perceive the outside world, not even from the windows. The entire space gives out the idea of a bureaucracy that predominates over human lives. Of course, even in the story it is clear that the visit of the three unfortunate main characters is not a pleasant one, in line with the austere aspect of the place. 

Harry never physically entered the impregnable prison, but Azkaban is briefly shown in all its impressiveness. Owned by the Ministry of Magic and surrounded by the ocean, the most famous depiction of the building describes how the waves and the high walls are, in reality, useless countermeasures, since it is madness that prevents the prisoners from escaping. Its halo of mystery contributes to making this place even more forbidding and, for this reason, it will never cease to be perceived as hell on earth throughout the saga.

In a recent edition of the seven volumes, the Italian publishing house Salani commissioned new covers for their books to Domus 2018 Guest Editor Michele De Lucchi, and the cover of the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, clearly stands out from the others. In De Lucchi’s cover, the image of an extruded triangle with the smooth walls leaves space to an imposing squared ziggurat with no windows and seemingly without even an entrance. Yet, despite its hardly any appearances and appearance interpretations, every Harry Potter fan can describe the feeling of terror and horror that Azkaban infuses.

The house of the main characters can tell a lot about Harry, Hermione, Ron (and Luna). Not many places of residence are portrayed, but the aspect of those that are shown had always important elements. The story begins with Harry at his aunt and uncle’s house. The family never misses an opportunity to define themselves “perfectly normal” and so is their home. 

But Harry’s room is anything but normal: placed in a windowless, tiny cupboard under the stairs, dimly lit even with a light bulb installed, it is definitely a cramped and inhospitable place.

The story narrates the boy’s unfortunate daily life at the beginning of his adventures, and it is not hard to understand how this contributed to shaping his character. At the same time, Hermione’s muggle house has nothing particularly exceptional, but its elegance typical of Hampstead is in line with the girl’s character.

Ron’s house is one of the most peculiar out of the family homes of the magical world. His architecture is very odd: as the family grew, other rooms were added to an already asymmetric structure that looks rather precarious from the outside. Yet, the warmth of this family is unquestionable. The chaos showed by the state of the outdoor garden fully reflects the personality of young Weasley and his relatives.

The most absurd house is that of the Lovegoods. Luna and his father Xenophilius live in a vaguely cylindrical building, full of peculiar plants, crooked paths, and all kinds of external decorations. 

Unfortunately, in the movies, the house is shown in an unhappy circumstance and, even though it remains an incredible place down to its essence, part of its magic seems to have been lost because of that. If you happened to fall in love with Luna’s uniqueness and her constantly having her head even beyond the clouds, you cannot not to be enchanted by the most “fairy-like” of the magical houses of the Harry Potter World.