 |
| The current site of the platform |
Kings
Cross Railway Station
Euston
Road
London
Admission
charge: Free
“Harry
looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the ticket box had been,
with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it”
Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J. K. Rowling (Bloomsbury, 1997)
Platform
9¾, Kings Cross features in J K Rowling’s Harry Potter novels as the departure
point for the Hogwarts Express, the rail service by which Harry and his friends
reach Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although it is invisible to
those without magical ability, the platform can be reached by passing through a
brick wall barrier located between platforms 9 and 10.
Following
the success of the books and subsequent film series, a “Platform 9¾” sign was
erected at the station. Below it the rear wheels and handle of a luggage
trolley were set into the bricks to give the appearance that it is moving
through the wall.
 |
| The new concourse at Kings Cross |
The
sign and trolley were originally located on the wall of a separate annex to
Kings Cross which houses the real platforms 9 and 10. However, they can now be
found on a wall of the impressive new station concourse – the canopy of which
is the largest single span structure in Europe – which was opened on 19 March
2012.
Whilst
it’s worth a visit if you happen to be passing through Kings Cross and young
children will enjoy the photo opportunity that it provides, it’s not worth
making a special trip to see it unless you are a diehard Harry Potter fan.
Rating
(out of 10): 3
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