While London is known for its rich and vast history, the Royal family and their heritage, unique architecture, and modern skyline, remember to plan a trip to the legendary Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios. Discover where the famous Harry Potter film series was shot and learn how this historic studio became home to one of the most popular movies ever.

Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios timeline

1940: The Leavesden Studio, which houses the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio was originally built as an aerodrome and an aircraft production base during World War 2.

1994: The James Bond production team took advantage of Leavesden Studio’s unoccupied and vacant status to shoot the iconic 007 movie, Goldeneye after discovering they can't shoot at Pinewood Studios.

1994 to 2000: The aerodrome or the aircraft production facility was transformed into a full-fledged film production facility hosting some of the most popular movies.

2000-2010: After transforming Leavesden into a modern film-production facility, Warner Bros leased the studios for around a decade for the shooting and production of all eight Harry Potter movies.

History of Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios explained

Manufacturing Facility During World War 2

1940

The famous Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios wasn’t always a film production facility. It was initially built as an aerodrome and an aircraft manufacturing facility during World War 2. The Mosquito combat aircraft and Halifax Bomber are some of the most well-known combat aircraft that were manufactured here.

Rolls Royce Era

1967-1992

Rolls Royce, one of the most known companies in the world at that time bought the production facility. It continues to manufacture aircraft, helicopter engines, and more. The facility shut down in 1992.

Birth of Leavesden Studios

1994-2000

The aircraft and engine manufacturing facility is transformed into a film-production facility during this period. As more and more people within the industry got familiar with Leavesden Studios and its offerings, many high-profile movies including Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, and Sleepy Hollow were shot here.

Harry Potter Movie Series

2000-2010

After becoming a successful film-production facility after its transformation, Warner Bros leased the studios for a decade for the production of all eight movies in the Harry Potter series. The Harry Potter era was another turning point contributing to the studio’s rising popularity.

Construction of Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios

The Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios is housed within the Warner Bros film-production facility in Leavesden, England. While the original property was constructed in 1940 as an aerodrome and an aircraft production facility, it is now owned by Warner Bros and is one of the most popular film production facilities in the world. It is designed and planned by the Thinkwell Group in a collaborative effort with Warner Bros and some of the crew members of the Harry Potter series.

The Warner Bros Harry Potter Studios opened to the public in 2012 after an extravagant Grand Opening. That said, a Royal Opening took place just a year after the Grand Opening in the presence of Prince William and Catherine.