This morning Warner Bros. have emailed a few photos from the unavailing of “Hogwarts in the Snow” at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.  Visitors can enjoy the magical festive feature at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London from Friday 15th of November. Also inside the Tour, visitors can explore stunning original sets including the iconic Great Hall, the Gryffindor common room and the Weasley kitchen from The Burrow – all of which have been dressed especially for Christmas using festive props from the Harry Potter series. See the photos of a snow-covered Hogwarts Castle in our gallery and read the press release below:

Today, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter unveils the most magical snowfall of the season, the breathtaking Hogwarts castle model covered in a blanket of snow.  From Friday 15^th November 2013, visitors will get the chance to see the castle as it has never been seen before, with its iconic festive look recreated for the first time.

The artificial snow used on the Hogwarts castle model throughout the Harry Potter film series was actually dendritic salt. It was chosen because it clumps like snow and even squeaks when walked on.  During filming, a member of the crew would have climbed aboard a cherry picker and put salt on the model by hand with a sieve – like dusting sugar onto a cake.  The same process has been used at the Studio Tour this November and samples of the different types of salt used will also be on display.

Model Effects Supervisor, Jose Granell commented: “It’s great to be back at the Studio Tour and to be snowing the Hogwarts model.  We’ve spent a week sprinkling the snow on by hand and the finished effect is really beautiful.  It looks exactly like it did when we were filming the Harry Potter film series and it’s something very magical to enjoy this Christmas.”

Some of the intricately-detailed sets showcased at the attraction have been given a festive makeover using the actual decorations and food props seen in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.  Eight Christmas trees will line the Great Hall, along with festoons of holly, mistletoe and golden wreaths.  Two long dining tables will be dressed as they were for seasonal feasts with prop versions of turkeys, hams, fruit, vegetables, plum puddings and snow cakes.  The food featured in the feasts throughout the early films was real; however, the Set Decoration Department later used artificial food created from powder and resin.

Visitors will see the hand-knitted jumpers that Molly Weasley gave Ron and Harry for Christmas in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.  Other costumes on display will include the first Christmas present Harry received at Hogwarts – his Invisibility Cloak – and the dress Luna Lovegood wore to the Slug Club Christmas party in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Hogwarts in the Snow will run from Friday 15^th November to Monday 6^th January and all extra activities are included in the ticket price.

Additionally, WB sent over a ton of facts about the holiday themed tour:

Hogwarts castle model

• This is the first time that the breathtaking Hogwarts castle model has been covered in a blanket of snow, since the filming of the Harry Potter series, which took place here at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden
• The Hogwarts castle model is the jewel in the crown of the art department; the intricately-detailed model was constructed for the first film Harry Potter and the

Philosopher’s Stone

• The film scripts required sweeping shots of the stunning castle, so to create those the films’ artists built this 1:24 scale model based on Production Designer Stuart Craig’s initial sketches and filmed it against a green screen
• It took seven months and a team of 40 to build it from scratch
• The detail is exceptional. Even the smallest things are three-dimensional – like miniature owls, tiny door hinges and little torches small enough to fit on the head of a pin
• It would have taken one person 74 years to build the breathtaking model

Artificial Snow

• The artificial snow used on the Hogwarts castle model throughout the Harry Potter film series was actually dendritic salt
• Dendritic salt is made up of star-shaped crystals that allow it to fall and lie like snow. It’s so convincing, it even squeaks like freshly fallen snow if you step on a new layer of it!
• To create the authentic snowed look, a member of the crew would have to climb aboard a cherry picker and put salt on the model by hand with a sieve – like dusting sugar onto a cake
• It took roughly a week to cover the 1:24 scale model of Hogwarts during filming, although the Studio Tour has done it in three days for the Hogwarts in the Snow feature

Great Hall dressing:

• Some of the other intricately-detailed sets showcased at the attraction have also been given a festive makeover, using the actual decorations and food props seen in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
• Eight Christmas trees line the Great Hall, along with festoons of holly, mistletoe and golden wreaths. In the film, these decorations are levitated onto the trees by Professor Flitwick, played by Warwick Davis
• Two long dining tables have been dressed as they were for seasonal feasts with prop versions of turkeys, hams, fruit, vegetables, plum puddings and snow cakes. The food featured in the feasts throughout the early films was real; however, the Set Decoration Department later used artificial food created from powder and resin, as seen here

Elsewhere throughout the Tour

• The Gryffindor common room, boys’ dormitory and Weasley kitchen have also undergone a seasonal transformation
• Visitors can see the hand-knitted jumpers that Molly Weasley gave Ron and Harry for Christmas in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
• Other costumes on display will include the first Christmas present Harry received at Hogwarts – his Invisibility Cloak – and the dress Luna Lovegood wore to the Slug Club Christmas party in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Evanna Lynch, who played Luna, created the jewellery she wore with the costume and many of the other accessories she wore while filming
• On Diagon Alley, visitors can also discover secrets behind the footprints in the snow, which were filmed for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and appear when Harry sneaks into Hogsmeade under his Invisibility Cloak