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"They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger bars and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand."
— Harry Potter's first time in London[src]

London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom, and one of the largest and most famous cities in the world. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain, it had long stood as an important centre of British commerce and government for wizards and Muggles alike.

History[]

17th century[]

Eldon Elsrickle

Eldon Elsrickle, the "Spectral Thief of Old London Town"

In the early 17th century, wizard thief Eldon Elsrickle returned to London after having fled to Africa for a time to evade imprisonment. In Africa, he learnt about the Unlocking Charm (which was, at the time, an unheard of spell in the western world) from an ancient African sorcerer.[3]

Elsrickle terrorised London with his new spell, burgling Muggle and wizarding homes alike. It was only when fellow Londoner Blagdon Blay invented the Anti-Alohomora Charm (in response to having his house broken-into nineteen times in the course of two weeks) that Londoners found safety again, and a frustrated Elsrickle stopped.[3]

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the City of London, beginning on Sunday, 2 September, 1666. The Muggles say the Great Fire of London started in a bakery on Pudding Lane, but there is debate among the wizarding community whether it began in the bakery or in the basement of the house next door, where legend has it a young Welsh Green was being kept.[4]

19th century[]

SirHerbertVarney

Sir Herbert Varney

In the 1880s, Sir Herbert Varney, a vampire, started to prey on London women. He was eventually hunted down and killed by a specially-assigned task-force from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.[5] Around the same time, a Boggart, popularly known as the Bludgeoning Boggart of Old London Town, prowled the back streets of London and, feeding on people's fears, took on the form of a "murderous thug", before having been reduced to a hamster with one simple incantation.[6]

On 1 September 1890, Eleazar Fig and a new fifth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry met in an alley. British Ministry of Magic official George Osric Apparated there shortly afterward, reporting that he had gotten lost and mistakenly Apparated to the West End and scared a few theatre-goers. Together they all departed in a carriage for Hogwarts.[7]

20th century[]

In 1926, The New York Ghost reported that European Aurors were searching for Gellert Grindelwald all across Europe, including London.[8]

On 1 April, 1979, Caractacus Phelps exploded no less than eight-hundred Stink Pellets, by dropping them en-masse from the roof of the Daily Prophet building in Diagon Alley. The resultant gas cloud caused untold discomfort throughout London, and approximately five-hundred cases of Stinkitus were reported. The Muggle authorities explained the stinking cloud away as an unpleasant emission from a nearby factory.[9]

Death Eaters attacked London and kidnapped Ollivander

The Dark Mark and Death Eaters flying in the sky over London

London felt the effects of the Second Wizarding War severely. Many buildings and homes were destroyed or ransacked, and many people were attacked within the City during Lord Voldemort's rise of power: Emmeline Vance was found dead near 10 Downing Street,[10] Diagon Alley was attacked, leading to Garrick Ollivander's kidnapping and Florean Fortescue's murder.[10]

Important locations[]

Governmental locations[]

Ministry Visitors Entrance

The visitors' entrance to the Headquarters of the Ministry of Magic on a London street

London was an important city because it is where the Government of the whole United Kingdom was located. Some of its governmental locations included:

Commercial locations[]

London was a centre of commerce for both the Muggle and the wizarding community. Some of its commercial sites included:

Institutions[]

London was the location of many important institutions, including:

Gringotts bank

Gringotts Wizarding Bank's main offices

Other locations[]

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 194 images related to London.

External links[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 4 (Number Twelve Grimmauld Place)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 7 (The Ministry of Magic)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Wonderbook: Book of Spells
  4. 4.0 4.1 Fifth question of the third W.O.M.B.A.T. at J. K. Rowling's official site
  5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Mentioned on a Famous Wizard Card)
  6. Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Boggart" at Wizarding World
  7. Hogwarts Legacy (see video)
  8. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (see this image)
  9. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) - GameCube/GameBoy Advance Link (Harry reads about this on a Hint Book, at Gringotts)
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister)
  11. The Queen's Handbag
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 5 (Diagon Alley)
  14. 14.0 14.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
  15. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
  16. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4 (At Flourish and Blotts)
  17. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 22 (St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries)
  18. Daily Prophet Newsletters
  19. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 13 (The Secret Riddle)
  20. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 6 (The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters)
  21. Writing by J. K. Rowling: "King's Cross Station" at Wizarding World
  22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 15 (The Goblin's Revenge)
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