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Victoria Street is a jamboree of colour & quirky shops, admired as the bonniest street in Edinburgh. Soaking in its bewitching old world charm is essential to any exploration of the old town.
Itâs reputed to be an inspiration for Diagon Alley, with a ribbon of cobbles curving upward, multiple levels hosting an eclectic throng of boutique shops and pointy roofs touching the sky itâs not impossible to see why.
The brick he had touched quivered â it wriggled â in the middle, a small hole appeared â it grew wider and wider â a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway on to a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight.TRUTH Upon consultation JK Rowling would tell you itâs not nearly so much an inspiration as her imagination, whilst tapping the wonder loom (her head).
So, fer instance, whereâs Potageâs cauldron shop? And the books in the Old Town bookshop?! They donât even bite. Not even nibble.
Rowling is precious about credit & truth. Harry Potter is greatly the result of an epic, obsessive imagination, Edinburghâs gift was texture. Drink it in.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the Philosopherâs Stone in 2017, Diagon House, a stone vaulted Harry Potter shop exploded onto the scene, echoing Professor Snapeâs Potions classroom.
Diagon House shared a post on Facebook:
Muggles Welcome, Relatives by Appointment. Please let us point your Nimbus 2000 in the right direction to find our two stores situated in the heart of Edinburghâs medieval Old Town, The Birthplace of Harry Potter.A few more sorcerous shops stud the street outfitting pupils with the essential kit for a new term at the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world.
Iâm Sam a Harry Potter tour guide & former old town tour guide. This is my:
Home of interesting curiosities for the curious...
Two stone vaults stacked one upon another connected by a twisting narrow stair, a hungry metal dragon curves along the ceiling and every shelf, nook and corner is stuffed full of a curated selection of the finest instruments of witchcraft and wizardry in Potterdom.
After the 20th anniversary celebration summer, the shop rebranded as Museum Context, honouring itâs eclectic Scottish collection. Potter pilgrims the world over continue to converge on the shop for itâs Tardis like transportation.
Developed by Alice and Andrew McRae, a conservation architect, this is the busy, claustrophobic full on immersive Diagon Alley experience. The same scene & bustle Harry would have experienced elbowing sniggering Slytherins aside as he struggles to purchase his new year supplies.
Owner Andrew McRae says âThe unique nature of these premises feels as if it was purpose built to offer a Harry Potter collection. This building feels like itâs found its perfect usage â you walk in and it feels like youâre walking into Ollivanders.â
Explore the wand selection, take Hogwartâs magical Quill of Acceptance and try to wrestle your your name into the stern Book of Admittance, consider a T-shirt to declare your allegiance to the boy who lived, and scare companions with the monstrous props.
If you donât have a house scarf yet, they sell officially licensed scarves made here in Scotland. The home of Hogwarts. Iâm sure JK Rowling would happily tell you Scottish sheep are the best in the world, how else could our Hebridean Black Dragons grow to 30ft (9.1m) in length?
Naughty boys and girls perhaps?
To calibrate the senses, a polyester Slytherin scarf is ÂŁ24.95 at the Warner Brotherâs studio tour. Museum Context has something for every pocket but what it shines at is eclectic interior decorating.
There is a second Harry Potter Museum Context similarly stuffed to the brim on Cockburn Street. I really love their teddy bear dragons - oh to be 2!
They must have breathed some kind of fire because when I read the price tag my eyes began to water.
Many of the items are exclusive to the shop, the owners want to create something unique and special, I think they have.
Beware If you donât have Hagrid along to guide you, you may feel jostled and harassed. And donât place your fingers too near the monster books of Monsters. The staff have a bucket by the door full to the brim with studentâs digits bitten clean-off đŠ¸
Victoria Streetâs embattled Harry Potter shop. It was called âThe boy wizardâ, but Warner Brothers werenât fans. It rebranded as âThe Great Wizardâ, but Warner Brothers: still not fans.
If youâre reading this beloved Bros, my Potter tours are actually Tolkein tours, FOR REAL, complete with dancing Hobbits in Edinburghâs Prancing Pony. But please please please give me 5 Fantastic Beasts movies - đ Sam
So the owners, the Gold brothers, changed the name to "The Enchanted Galaxy", blending magical fantasy and sky-full-of-stars sci-fi. When the Brothers Warner came knocking they opened the door and said
Uh? âArry Rotter? Never âeard of âim đ¤ˇ
If Museum context, with itâs higgedly piggedly selection of curiosities is the heart of cramped and crammed Diagon Alley, then The Enchanted Galaxy is Walmart, a gleaming concept store.
Itâs safe, itâs charming in its own way, if it had floating candles, youâd known they were LED and werenât going to splosh hot wax on your head or dinner.
Everythingâs laid out neatly and fronted and sparkling. My eyes werenât fatigued darting around trying to drink it all in, my elbows had their full range, and I never never never, not for a moment, feared a collision with a surly Draco Malfoy. I didnât say "Sorry" once.
There might be a hungry Acromantula crawling around in the vaults beneath George IV bridge, occasionally, late at night, pushing a drain grate aside and dragging down a hapless tourist taking them to their nest and spinning them in silk. There might be, but theyâre definitely fought back out of this well groomed shop.
Itâs the shop for, you know, âHarry Potter was alright and all that, but I just want the T-shirt not the traumaâ.
While Museum Context feels authentic because of the stone vaults and itâs mix of licensed merchandise, with curious curiosities, just like the bric-a-brac Diagon or Knockturn Alley; this shop is laser focused on the Potter merch.
A room that goes on and on like Hermoineâs Hallowâs bag it offers a good range of familiar affordable-ish movie memorabilia, perfect for kids who hunger to keep up with their schoolmates.
In its sister store, Wizarding World AKA Galaxy, 47-49 South Bridge, you can take a take a selfie upon a hard wooden stall in a crazy hat, just ask Professor Mcgonagall to hoist it on your head, while the shopâs Harry Potter music transports you to Hogwarts. That shop also contains a Star Wars and marvel memorabilia. Muggles eh?
No, Tom isnât literally related to Harry. That would be a bit Starwars.Iâm reminded of one of my kind reviewers âwe got our Geek on and we loved itâ, this is how I feel about all our Harry potter shops. They open and I think âOhhh Whatâs new? What havenât I seen? What do I miss that they might have?â I desperately want a Mad Eye. Sooo bad.
Isnât it magical?
We pass all 3 shops on Rowlingâs Edinburgh & Complete Potterhead tours; if youâre after a Harry Potter souvenir, come along and cruise the shops with me.
Find your perfect Harry Potter tourPre-relocation the Elephant House was the spiritual Mecca for many a Potter inspired pilgrimmage, today it is billed as Edinburghâs most magical cafe. It serves food Molly Weasley would be proud to dish up, but like the Burrow it can be hard to get a seat.
That takes some explaining so hereâs an entire page devoted to the history, spirituality & strange sorcery of Victoria Streetâs Elephant House đŤ
JK Rowling was asked what butterbeer tastes like⌠âI made it up. I imagine it to taste a little bit like less sickly butterscotch.âIf youâre casually brooming past, sure shout in at the waitresses for a space, but donât let hope burn you. What makes brooming more fun? Brooming while drunk⌠đ¤Ť
To this end owner David Taylor has created a box office three meters inside the entrance, where a wee House Elf dispenses Butterbeer. Sure she doesnât look like a House Elf, concealment charms anâ all. But pull an ear and POW! It PUNCHES JUST LIKE WINKY đľ
Anyway thatâs fine, thatâs sensible. Weâve all spent too many hours bewitched by House Elvesâ gnarly, spiralling ear-tresses đľâđŤ
The Elephant House Butterbeer is no less expensive than Warner Brothers and, if you take it with a swirl of cream kissing your abnormally long Snape nose đ¤Ľ, no less joyful đ
Orwellian for The Dogâs bollocks, or in California âmost excellentâ.
You wouldnât normally say that you need anything that is stocked here. A lot of the stuff is very tongue-in-cheek and is the sort of thing that youâd maybe give as a humorous side-present beside another main present.
The prices may not be amazingly low but the stuff is of a great quality, and I canât think of another place with their range of stock. Where else could you get a grow-your-own Jesus?
This is a great place to go for the person who has everything, because they almost certainly wonât have most of
the stuff that this place stocks. I always find that as I wander round, I try and justify in my head why I need,
for example, a really small cheese grater. If you visit, prepare to come out having bought something, whether
you intend to or not!
Review by Mark W
Whatâs unique about shopping here?
You can get a good mix of things, weâve got the Christmas shop on the other side so you can get Christmas decorations all year round, so I think you canât get much more unique than that.
They look specialer than Lidl,
Yes, theyâre collectables for people who come on their holidays.
There are lots of Scottish themed ones, theyâll really make a Christmas tree pop and conjure memories of someoneâs visit to Scotland.
Whatâs your most popular product?
Well the Harry Potter stuff is selling very well, we sell a whole range of products from books to mugs to anything you can think of... đ Flying Cauldron Butterbeer
What do people get most excited about when theyâre kind of the shopping for Harry Potter?
Oh definitely the wands thatâs why theyâre right up front and center there. Theyâre Warner replicas [ genuine, snatched from the hands of witches and wizards ], ornaments more than toys.
Youâve got some badges here âI would rather be at Hogwartsâ yes I share that sentiment. And Hogwarts prefect badges!
[ Fred and George have even visited and enchanted some of them to say âPinheadâ, that got my sisterâs birthday sorted. I also bought her tickets to Britainâs longest zip line. A flying Pinhead. ]
Whatâs it like working here? What do you like to do here with friends?
Well itâs meant to be the inspiration for Daigon Alley, so weâre kept busy.
I like to have an ice cream over from the police box over there which opened last year. Sit out on the Conventerâs monument, the old hanging zone you know? A bit morbid for ice cream but probably a better use of the square now. That and then going to one of the many pubs in the Grassmarket around here.
The pedestrianised Grassmarket at the bottom of Victoria Street has tables outside and over summer it has a relaxed, continental vibe.
"We have whoopee cushions we have fake jobbies we have chattering teeth, rubber chickens, all the classics."
Do they though? They may... The remaining twin has retired & itâs in flux. Itâs become a pop-up shop, over Halloween it was a costume shop, as of writing itâs a boutique handbag shop. The Groucho Marx fake nose & glasses adorning the shop front & defining the street in fansâ imaginations continues, alas, I fear, just for now.
I interviewed the bubbly staff of the shop that was.
Whatâs unique about shopping here?
Ohh the friendly service, [ laughter ]
Thatâs not unique though, thatâs honest.
But thereâs not many joke shops in Edinburgh you know? Itâs a novelty in itself.
Whatâs your most popular product?
I think the fake jobbies,
No Way! Yeah youâve got a full range there: cat jobbies, Human jobbies and kind of biscuity dog jobbies
We sell many many masks as well, the fake horse mask, and Donald Trump masks are very popular.
Yeah youâve got Donald Trump in 3 different colours, that is amazing.
4 actually.
Thatâs going to be a really scary Halloween.
Yeah thereâs going to be a lot of Trumps about.
So whatâs the weirdest thing youâre asked for?
Well Iâve had some weird phone calls, I guess the weirdest, well a lot of people ask for Gimp suits.
No way!
And then Phalluses in various forms.
Ah of course, Hen parties visiting the Grassmarket.
Whatâs it like working on the street?
Itâs great, thereâs a lot of atmosphere, especially during Halloween and the festival.
It gets very busy during the festival, artists come in for theatre props and magic as well.
Everyone comes in, we had a few celebrities during the festival, jugglers...
Which celebrities?
Mostly standup comics, Al Murray has been in, Jack Whitehall
What did he buy?
He tried on this Trump mask, but he never bought it. He didnât say very much he was like a little lost boy, he just let his agent do all the talking. His agent had to ask if he could use the toilet.
What would particularly interest Harry Potter fans?
The usual wands, a golden snitch, cloaks, scarves, we have ties of the various houses. Voldemort overhead mask.
I think a lot of people like to visit as well because this is what the joke shop was based on in Harry Potter, the Weasley brothers joke shop of course right on Diagon Alley [ Weasley Wizardâs Wheezes ] So we have a lot of fans coming in on their pilgrimages.
For many fans their favourite part of Edinburghâs âDiagon Alleyâ, isnât actually on Victoria Street at all. A little bit further along from Overlangshawâs icecream police box, midway up the Southside of the Grassmarket, is Bainâs retro sweets. If youâve never had one of Dumbledoreâs hard-boiled Sherbet Lemons itâs ÂŁ1.20 for 100 grams. The same place Albus gets his.
Sherbet Lemons are Muggle candy, Dumbledore has strange tastes, but Bain has sweets that grow on trees, which is a bit magic.
I just want to get inside Honeydukes!Mr Bain says heâll never be rich, but itâs a job and itâs been building and building for 5 years and best of all he says "nobody can sack you". He loves his nutty customers saying his website gets orders from all over the world despite the fact the postage cost often matches the price of the order.
Bain says he does a lot of corporate functions with his sweet cart for banks etc., he says folk are never too old. Well I think if you close your eyes & suck a Bainsâ hard boiled sweet, as the warm nectar rolls down your throat itâs like youâve swallowed a Time Turner, your tumâs transported to an earlier age.
Bains is utterly Scottish, he sells Haggis poo - Haggis poo collectors are apparently called âHaggis trackersâ - and Iron Bru creams. Iron Bru is Scotlandâs second national drink, the sugar infusion picks us up the morning after a hard night on the Whisky.
Mr Bainâs biggest selling item is Scottish tablet, he has 350 reviews of it from all over the world. Mr and Mrs Bain make 8 trays of Tablet a week, so itâs like itâs just been plucked from the Tablet Tree.
Whatâs it taste like? Well he usually has little samples on his counter, but itâs like a softer crumblier fudge, it melts in the mouth with a buttery sweet taste.
Swish, clothes to make you pop in a slum.
I did an interview with the well spoken assistant in Swish, he made a good impression. He was passionate about Victoria Streetâs identity as the most interesting sweep of boutiques in Edinburgh, and their battles to keeping the gimlet eyes of slave-wage Cafe Neroâs and the like averted.
Whatâs it like working on Victoria Street?
Lots of interesting shops and lots of great customers, always a really positive energy and a really unique interesting street to work on.
Whatâs unique about shopping in Swish?
Whatâs unique is that weâre an independent business, Independent shops fuels the local economy and it creates an interesting vibrant store.
Whatâs your most popular product, what do people get really excited about when they come into the shop?
They get quite excited about quite a lot of our stock
We have them wide range of stuff that appeals to a lot of different people.
Probably some of the Harry Potter inspired stuff does kind of create a great reaction in people, as well as our justice for ginger T. shirts, thatâs quite popular too.
Do you have a big influx of redheads then into the shop?
Yep we do, we sell them on tote-bags and mugs too, people can buy one for themselves or for a gift or a joke whatever itâs got a really wide range of appeal.
So thereâs this character called Ginny Weasley who has red hair sheâs a very feisty, strong character, I think sheâd probably go for that T-shirt if she was passing by.
We have a loose Harry Potter collection, [ about 5 distinct designs ] the store has a division between casual wear like the printed T-shirts, and what we call boutique wear, formal shirts, formal trousers, sweaters.
We try and ethically source a lot of our brands, we have a lot of different brands a wide range to suit a wide range of people [ looking for something a bit special ] and we try and include a wide range of prices to suit many people also. We try and give every customer an interesting and positive experience.
They will clothe everyone from the Wizengamot to liberated House Elves and much of everything you can buy has been sourced locally; every purchase prevents chains from gobbling Edinburghâs âDiagon Alleyâ.
If youâre after a Harry Potter T-shirt or sweater to remember your visit by, then this shop is ground zero. The designs are all dreamed up within Edinburgh and printed by upstanding elves (they take no renumeration) in a subterranean workshop just down the road, beneath the Castle; sublime craftmanship.
Florean Fortescueâs Ice cream parlour
Florean was abducted and murdered by Deatheaters. So Scotlandâs smallest ice cream parlour is now owned by the Bergshaw family farm and, of course, they have a snake!
The Police box sells ice cream from Over Langshaw farm, South, near Tweedbank, in the borders. The bread basket of Scotland. The farm is powered by a wind turbine called Winifred, solar panels plate the farm house roof & the ice cream is made in a machine called âSylvesterâ. Everythingâs organic & maximum hippy.
Occassionally Lucy Bergshaw tests her bicep power with a stint in the dream Police box, and
Iâve been given the full Bergshaw briefing. Their farm is special, all their animals have been given passports and liberty.
Seemingly normal hens, theyâre basically bred for factory farms, if you open the door they sit in their cages and squawk âget away, Iâve got neighbours to peckâ. Theyâre essentially brutalised House Elves, hopeless.
But ice cream needs egg yoke to keep it stuck together, or it will just slop off the cone, instant slimed hand.
So the farm has a special breed of Braveheart chicken, who every morning paint half their face blue and charge out of the shed doors crying âFreedom!â. Columbian Black Tails who stay out till nightfall, 11pm in summer, marauding the fields, seeking stray English. Menace.
Lucy also told me her cousin has left her pet snake on the farm. You cannot believe how excited I got, âis it called Nagini?â, âNoâ, said Lucy, âitâs called No noâ. Presumably itâs ravenous.
I interviewed Lucyâs wonderful assistant about life scooping, lunch & Overlangshawâs flavours.
Whatâs unique about shopping here?
Whatâs unique, well the flavors are all very unique. Weâve got Whisky flavour, salted caramel flavour, weâve got some wacky flavours, theyâre very good.
Theyâre quite individual, weâre the only people who sell them because theyâre made in our own farm, so you canât get them anywhere else apart from here.
[ And a handful of fancy fancy restaurants. ]
Which one do you most often have with lunch?
Salted caramel, I feel thatâs kinda perfect any weather as well, you can have it when itâs raining and you forget where you are.
Our most popular one is the Whisky one, Whisky ripple, itâs rippled with Raspberry.
Whatâs it like working here?
When itâs sunny like today itâs so nice working here. Before I worked in shops, and every day was the same, here every week we get different flavours…
Whatever Johnâs motives, when the Royal Artillery at Edinburgh Castle daily fired the one oâclock gun off would go Bobby, tail wagging, doubtlessly enduring petting and occassionally wolfing down a chunk of carrot cake as he bewitched Traillâs patrons.
Bobby didnât have a license though and John was harrassed by the Blue Meanies (Police) on a mission to purge the city of stray dogs. John eventually capitulated saying âWell look, heâs not my dugâ.
At which point the Lord Provost William Chambers, head of the council, intervened & saved Bobby from the chop block.
Every January we gather on the first Sunday on or after the fourteenth in Greyfriars Kirk and the present Lord Provost sermonises the life of Bobby đ on the anniversary of his passing. We then of course eat Greyfriars Bobby ice cream! Or at least we do 6 months later.
January?
Wir nae thae daft.
By far the most popular flavour is
Whisky is our biggest export and our national drink, the ice cream is the most Scottish thing within a 1 mile radius, itâs more Scottish than The Castle, thatâs just made of rock. Itâs so Scottish the government has mandated it be served with a Saltire cross.
Glenfiddich means âvalley of the deerâ in Scottish Gaelic, hence the Glenfiddich logo is a stag.
The Glenfiddich range has received more awards since 2000 than any other single malt Scotch whisky.
So Potterheads: whatâs Harryâs patronusâ favourite desert? Could it be Over Langshaw farmhouse whisky ice cream?
Iâm not mad on whisky but I really like this ice cream, all the alcohol is boiled out during pasteurization leaving a cool-warm, smoky flavour; Lucy often ripples it with Rasberry which intermittently gives it a tart Zing! If youâre going for a few flavours, itâs Scotland, itâs sacrilegious not to make Whisky the summit.
Over Langshaw ice cream is also available in the Dog house, a friendly dog themed pub, where they sell a properly alcoholic & biscuity Butterbeer. Fosters with a gloop of secret sauce.
Visiting? Choose your Avatar so we know how to greet you.
Multi-nationals, based outwith Scotland such as Sandemans, persistently ran tours which massively breached Scotlands First Ministerâs guidance, thereby spreading disease. 234,000 UK citizens, no small number, have died. Loved members of peopleâs families wiped.
Local companies have endured having their guides on their tours, taking notes & transcripts, to help build their own versions. They call this âsievingâ or âfilletingâ, their partners believe they âdo it properlyâ & are... sieving for gold?
This reduces local tour operators & Scotland đ´ó §ó ˘ó łó Łó ´ó ż because their guides get little, Sandemans has circumvented our Legal minimum wage & much of the profits are sucked abroad. It also harms honest - originated the work - competition, because the multi-nationals lean on a cartel theyâve built with hotels & hostels. These partners, some âpocketedâ for a fee, spotlight multi-nationalâs âsievedâ tours, building their review dominance.
Thereâs little motivation to do original work if you expect the work wonât pay. Weâre being sieved to the bottom. Thereâs little need for tourism if its gift is congestion & hardship.
Please do not visit & norm âsievingâ.
If you go on a multi-nationalâs tour you empower brands who murder đ¤˘
Work & ethics should pay đŞ
Reject the fatcat cartel đžâđźâđž Prefer local tour providers {Me, PotterTrail} who would love to host you, or maybe just go to Manchester instead.
Go well
Sam
Minerals & meteorites & fossils.
The Ministry make periodic visits to Mr Woods to ensure we continue to conceal our Fantastic Beasts from Muggle eyes & minds. Arguably the Ministryâs greatest triumph is that when the Muggles do find evidence of their Beastly co-habitants they discount it - puny Dunderheads
You can enjoy their wide-eyed, blinkered-minded puzzlement here. Itâs a Muggle Zoo đ
Woods is opposite the end of Victoria Street at 5 Cowgatehead. Google mapđ
If thereâs something youâve always fancied from the wizarding world, or you know someone whoâll cherish your impulse, (or extravagance), Edinburgh is the most meaningful and memorable place to splash the â˛alleons.
And if you spend here it allows us to buy pitchforks to fend off the Acromantula colony. I swear itâs growing. Whereâs Newt when you need him?
Iâve written a tour of Harry Potter locations for fellow fans. We visit the heart of Edinburghâs Wizarding commerce, Victoria Street, & sites key to the development of Rowlingâs first son.
How to have the most fun at the Elephant House cafĂŠ; itâs 2 minutes skip.
Divine Rowlingâs future with a palm reading of JK Rowlingâs Edinburgh Award. 3 minutes walk.
Tom Riddleâs grave in Greyfriarâs Kirkyard and other characterâs namesakes are 5 minutes walk through the lower, wrought iron gate of the Kirk. Or, if shut, scoot up atmospheric Candlemakers Row.
NEW: ½ day cycle tours of Edinburgh exploring Harry Potterâs development & JKâs progress, for fellow fans.
Don your invisibility cloak, break JKâs Fidelius charm & discover where Rowling has truthfully lived, written & caffeinated for the last 30 years on a refreshing adventure around greater Edinburgh.
Scotsmanâs history of Victoria Street.
Adrian Brannan mosaic Victoria Street
Lesley Ann Derks bonny painting of Victoria Street
Direwxlfs marvelous luminous Patronus
Glenfiddich logo: not sampled Scottish malt whisky ice cream? Call Madam Pomfrey! Child hasnât lived.