Diagon Alley

"There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon..."

- Description of Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley is a cobblestoned wizarding alley and shopping area located in London, England behind a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Inside the alley is an assortment of restaurants, shops, and other sights. All items on the Hogwarts supply list can be bought at Diagon Alley. The alley is completely hidden from the Muggle world which is right outside of its boundaries. It is very large in area and essentially the centre of wizarding London.

Creation
It is a popular historical theory that the oldest building in Diagon Alley is Gringotts Wizarding Bank and that the other shops grew up around it. However, there is a possibility that Ollivanders is the oldest building, records dating back to the late fourth century B.C.

Harry Potter's first visit


Harry Potter's first visit to Diagon Alley with Rubeus Hagrid marked his re-introduction to the wizarding world. Harry's first stop was Gringotts Wizarding Bank, where he encountered Goblins for the first time. After obtaining money from the bank Hagrid helped Harry shop for his school supplies and purchased Harry's eleventh birthday present, the snowy owl Hedwig, from Eeylops Owl Emporium. Harry also purchased his wand from Ollivanders. When visiting Diagon Alley Harry remarked that he wished he had more than one set of eyes to be able to take in all the sights the alley has to offer.

Return of the Dark Lord
"The colourful, glittering window displays of spellbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of these sombre purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been sent out over the summer, but others bore moving black-and-white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose... A few windows were boarded up, including those of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. On the other hand, a number of shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street."

- Description



In 1996, the return of Voldemort affected the appearance of Diagon Alley dramatically. Wizards and witches no longer felt safe wandering out in public. The once-crowded streets stood virtually empty, the few shoppers staying together in groups; "Wanted" posters with the faces of Death Eaters plastered the fronts of once-bright shops and street stalls popped up, hawking "protective" amulets and charms.

Ollivanders and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour were closed.

Location
Diagon Alley is accessible from Muggle London through the Leaky Cauldron, which is on Charing Cross Road, set between a bookshop and a record shop. The Muggles who pass by the inn seem to be "quite unconscious" of its existence. Knockturn Alley, a dark artefacts area, is an off shoot of Diagon Alley, as are the areas of Horizont Alley and Carkitt Market.

Access
"Welcome, Harry, to Diagon Alley."

- Rubeus Hagrid introduces Harry Potter to the alley



The entrance is behind the Leaky Cauldron in a small, walled courtyard with a dustbin. Diagon Alley can be accessed by tapping the correct brick in the wall behind the Leaky Cauldron (from the trash can, three up and two across). The wall goes in a small hole first but forms a large archway. It can also be accessed by Floo Powder and Apparition. There may be other entrances as well.

Diagon Alley connects to a second, less reputable shopping district, Knockturn Alley.

Community
"Best thing about the shopkeepers here is that they're all honest."

- A female patron expresses her opinion of Diagon Alley.



Inside the Alley is an assortment of restaurants, shops, and other sights; some even have tables out front with coloured umbrellas. Particularly during the days or weeks before school starts at Hogwarts, the location is packed with witches and wizards, though shops are open year-round as witches and wizards travel to the location for various goods. While the shops include many school-supply locations, there are also many locations important to the wizarding world, such as Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Ollivanders. Diagon Alley is also the location of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, established by Fred and George Weasley shortly after leaving Hogwarts.

Known Locations
"There's only one place we're going to get all this. Diagon Alley."

- Molly Weasley on buying her children's school supplies.

Etymology
The words "Diagon" and "Alley" when pronounced together, produce the word "diagonally" which is most probably the origin of the name "Diagon Alley". When Harry mispronounced the name due to inhaling a mouthful of ash, he landed in a fireplace in nearby Knockturn Alley.

Behind the scenes

 * In the United States, there is a shop which is a remake of Diagon Alley in Los Angeles, California called Whimsic Alley (which is a play on the word "whimsically"). The store features false store fronts inside the shop which mimic those of the "real" Diagon Alley, where many Harry Potter and wizard themed items can be purchased.
 * In the film Eat, Pray, Love there is a set that looks very much like the set used for Diagon Alley.
 * In the PS FA, Hagrid taps a series of bricks to enter Diagon Alley instead of one brick (three up two across).
 * The 2-disc DVD edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets includes an interactive tour of Diagon Alley, including non-interactive interior views of several shops, and an interactive exploration of Flourish and Blotts.
 * As depicted in the films, Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley are strictly pedestrian precincts, as the streets are too narrow to accommodate either vehicular or carriage traffic. Presumably magical means are exercised for stocking the shops, eliminating the need for standard transportation corridors.
 * As depicted in the films, Diagon Alley was inspired by the look of London in the early 1800s, but with fantastical touches, such as buildlings leaning at such sharp angles that they would surely fall if not supported by magic.
 * There is a LEGO set based on Diagon Alley, released on 1 January, 2011. It has three main buildings: Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Ollivanders, and Borgin and Burkes. It includes minifigures which have appeared in several of the Harry Potter films.
 * Though Muggles are unable to view the Leaky Cauldron and thus reach the entrance to Diagon Alley, Hermione Granger's parents accompanied her on her trip in her second year. It is possible alternative arrangements are available for such cases, such as a temporary connection to the Floo Network.
 * There is a Diagon Alley in the Universal Studios theme park, joined with Knockturn Alley. It includes a lot of the same shops and buildings where one can purchase Harry Potter merchandise, such as Harry Potter-themed clothing in Madame Malkin's and wand replicas in Ollivander's and Gregorovitch's.
 * Some have proposed that Diagon Alley is based on Victoria St in Edinburgh, which is located a few blocks from the Elephant House café. Victoria St is a narrow, winding road with high shops on either side, including a book shop, a clothing shop, a joke shop at one end, and a shop that sells wands. However, Rowling has never mentioned Victoria St.The_Wizarding_World_of_Harry_Potter_-_Diagon_Alley_RenderingLR.jpgDiagon-alley.jpg
 * has a Feature on designing Diagon Alley.

Appearances

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Notes and references
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