“Harry Potter” Statue on “Scenes in the Square” Trail Is Officially Unveiled
Harry Potter has now joined the “Scenes in the Square” trail in Leicester Square in London, making him one of the many characters that call the trail home. The unveiling of his statue happened this morning.
TV personality Alex Zane unveiling the Harry Potter statue in Leicester Square (Credit: Wizarding World Digital)
This fascinating bronze statue depicts Harry flying on his Nimbus 2000 during the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch match in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. 2021 will mark the 20th anniversary of this film, which held its world premiere in Leicester Square back in 2001.
Harry is the ninth addition to “Scenes in the Square” and will remain here until at least July 2023. The trail is free to visit and features other iconic film characters including Laurel and Hardy, Bugs Bunny, Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Poppins, Mr. Bean, Paddington, Batman, and Wonder Woman. You can find Harry’s statue on the north terrace.
Heart of London Business Alliance’s Ros Morgan and Westminster City Councillor Matthew Green by the Harry Potter statue in Leicester Square (Credit: Wizarding World Digital)
The attention to detail is amazing! The statue shows the Quidditch uniform perfectly and catches the wind through Harry’s hair as he zooms around the pitch. Of course, any depiction of Harry wouldn’t be complete without his lightning bolt-shaped scar.
Close-up of the Harry Potter statue in Leicester Square (Credit: Wizarding World Digital)
Ros Morgan, Chief Executive at Heart of London Business Alliance, couldn’t be more thrilled with this magical addition.
When we launched [‘]Scenes in the Square[‘] in February of this year, we said there would be more to come, and I’m thrilled our next statue could be one as iconic and magical as this. Harry Potter is hugely important to literature, [to] theatre and of course, to film. In a trail that celebrates cinema, it’s wonderful to have a character that has been so important to the UK film industry included, and one with as great British acting talent as Daniel Radcliffe. We know there are fans of Harry Potter of all ages all around the [w]orld, and we look forward to welcoming them to the West End, and Leicester Square, whenever that will be.
This is an excellent way to share the magic of Harry Potter. Will you be visiting Leicester Square to see this addition?
HARRY POTTER QUIDDITCH STATUE LANDS IN LONDON’S LEICESTER SQUARE
- Bronze statue of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter has joined long-term ‘Scenes in the Square’ statue trail, honouring his place in movie history
- Statue depicts the character playing Quidditch, in a film scene from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
- Harry Potter joins other icons of the last 100 years of movie history, Laurel & Hardy, Bugs Bunny, Mary Poppins, Singin’ in the Rain, Batman, Paddington, Mr. Bean and Wonder Woman
- Unveiling took place this morning, hosted by Alex Zane, at London’s Leicester Square’s north terrace
30th September London
A statue of Harry Potter has been unveiled in Leicester Square today, joining an illustrious trail of timeless movie characters from the past 100 years in London’s home of film.
Harry Potter, played by Daniel Radcliffe, was unveiled early this morning by TV personality Alex Zane, known for presenting at red carpet premieres in the square for many years including, [the] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 premiere.
The statue depicts Potter flying on his Nimbus 2000 in his debut Quidditch match – a thrilling encounter between Gryffindor and Slytherin from the first movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. 2021 will mark the 20th anniversary of this film, which had its [w]orld premiere in 2001 in Leicester Square.
Taking pride of place on the north terrace of Leicester Square outside Cineworld Cinema, Harry Potter is the ninth addition to ‘Scenes in the Square’, a free[-]to[-]visit film sculpture trail by Heart of London Business Alliance celebrating the square’s long and rich cinema history.
He joins eight other timeless icons and classic movie scenes from the past 100 years, which were unveiled in late February and recently granted longer[-]term residency by Westminster Council to remain in Leicester Square until at least July 2023, and organisers hope for many years to come. Gracing the buildings, benches and flower beds of the historic square, visitors can also encounter Laurel & Hardy, Bugs Bunny, Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Poppins, Mr. Bean, Paddington and iconic DC [s]uper-[h]eroes [sic] Batman and Wonder Woman.
The unveiling of the Harry Potter statue, which took place in a socially distanced ceremony, comes just ahead of the release on October 6th of [the] Quidditch Through the Ages [i]llustrated [e]dition from publisher[s] Bloomsbury in the UK and Scholastic in the US. First published over 15 years ago in aid of Comic Relief and Lumos, and written by J.K. Rowling as esteemed fictional Quidditch writer Kennilworthy Whisp, the book contains all you will ever need to know about the history [and] the rules – and the breaking of the rules – of the noble sport of Quidditch. Now, this much-loved companion to the Harry Potter books has been gloriously reimagined in a large illustrated colour gift edition by the innovative and award-winning illustrator Emily Gravett.
Alex Zane, TV [p]resenter and host of the event, says “Harry Potter has brought so much joy to fans around the world, and many like me have grown up with him, so it’s fantastic that he is taking his rightful place here in Leicester Square, where I was lucky enough to host the series’ final premiere. I can’t think of a more deserving addition to [']Scenes in the Square['].”
Ros Morgan, Chief Executive at Heart of London Business Alliance, says: “When we launched [']Scenes in the Square['] in February of this year, we said there would be more to come, and I’m thrilled our next statue could be one as iconic and magical as this.
“Harry Potter is hugely important to literature, [to] theatre and of course, to film. In a trail that celebrates cinema, it’s wonderful to have a character that has been so important to the UK film industry included, and one with as great British acting talent as Daniel Radcliffe.
We know there are fans of Harry Potter of all ages all around the [w]orld, and we look forward to welcoming them to the West End, and Leicester Square, whenever that will be.”
Finn Bruce, aged 10, says “I love Harry Potter and have been posing for photos pretending to play Quidditch with the statue all morning! I love coming into London, and I’m happy Harry is here now too!”
Yousef Ibrahim, aged 30, says, “I grew up with Harry Potter, and the books, films and now stage show have been a really important part of my life, which I think is the case for a lot of my generation. It’s great to see this immortalised in a statue now, especially in Leicester Square, where the films first premiered.”
A Harry Potter section has been added to the trail’s audio tour, also hosted by Alex Zane and packed with movie clips, on most podcast platforms, giving visitors a thirty-minute walking tour packed with trivia and humour.
Harry Potter is part of ‘Scenes in the Square’, an interactive film trail in London’s Leicester Square. For the latest information, visit: https://www.leicestersquare.london/scenes-in-the-square/
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