Welcome to a new blog with yours truly! This series will introduce some of the filming locations used to create the Harry Potter films, exploring how the team behind the films made these locations into something truly magical! The next stop on our wizarding tour is Glenfinnan Viaduct!
The Glenfinnan Viaduct is located in Inverness-shire and was built between 1897 and 1901. It connects Fort William and Mallaig, which made it vital for the Highland economy, especially the fishing industry. It was created using mass concrete, meaning there are no metal reinforcements in the arches. It is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland at 380m and spans the River Finnan 30m below.
The viaduct is depicted in four of the eight Harry Potter films: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It also features in some other famous films in different fandoms - but we'll stick to what we're here for, shall we?
- The Hogwarts Express is a Jacobite steam train and you can actually take a ride over the viaduct on it! There's also a nearby viewing platform to admire the viaduct and the train atop it.
- The Hogwarts Express and viaduct are iconic, but filming was a logistical challenge, since the crew didn't want to cause too much disruption to the normal schedule of the train and viaduct, both of which were still working!
- Although the exterior of the train were genuine, the interior was a carefully replicated set to give the crew better control over lighting and effects, as well as mitigating some of those pesky traffic control issues.
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That's all for this week - stay tuned for the next edition to explore more filming locations and learn more about how the Harry Potter films were created! Have you ever been to the viaduct, or even on the Hogwarts Express itself? Let us know in the comments!
