Today Warner Bros have sent over some photos of the Hogwarts model that have never been released! It has never been seen before and you can see it here first! Visit the gallery to see them in all their high resolution glory!

Additionally, the WB Studio Tour Twitter has released a photo of Umbridge’s Office (view in the gallery) and will be releasing more in the next few weeks, which we will of course post.  Some information about the Hogwarts castle model may be read below and even more details on the tour may be read in the full press release!

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter opens on March 31st (28 days) and Magical-Menagerie will be there, in London/Leaveseden, to give you all the news!

The magnificent model of Hogwarts castle was revealed for the first time ever today.  This hand sculpted 1:24 scale construction will be the grand finale of Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter which opens on 31^st March.

The Hogwarts castle model is the jewel of the Art Department and was built for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone™.  It took 86 artists and crew members to construct the first version which was then rebuilt and altered many times over for the next seven films.  The work was so extensive that if one was to add all the man hours that have gone into building and reworking the model, it would come to over 74 years.  The model, which sits at nearly 50 feet in diameter, has over 2,500 fibre optic lights that simulate lanterns and torches and even gave the illusion of students passing through hallways in the films.  To show off the lighting to full effect a day-to-night cycle will take place every 4 minutes so visitors to the Tour can experience its full beauty.

An amazing amount of detail went into the making of the model: all the doors are hinged, real plants are used for landscaping and miniature birds are housed in the Owlery.  To make the model appear even more realistic, artists rebuilt miniature versions of courtyards from Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral, where scenes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone™ were shot.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will open its doors for the very first time to visitors from 31^st March 2012 with tickets now on sale. Tickets are priced at £28 for adults, £21 for children and £83 for a family of four. Visitors must pre-book their tickets in advance by selecting specific tour times throughout the day via www.wbstudiotour.co.uk or through approved tour operators. Tickets will not be on sale at the attraction and spaces are limited.