Harry Potter filming resumed this week, as stars of the HBO series took to the historic Ashridge Estate to film Quidditch scenes.
Taking to the grounds of the estate in Hertfordshire, Dominic McLaughlin, who is playing the titular character, was seen alongside Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, Rory Willmort as Neville Longbottom and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy.
The use of the location acts as history repeating itself, as the grounds were previously used for 2005 movie Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire, where the surroundings acted as the background for the Quidditch World Cup.
The scenes in question show Harry’s first experience on a broomstick, when he chases bullying Draco, who had just stolen bumbling Neville’s Remembrall – a magical large glass ball which turns red when its owner has forgotten something.
It is the first glimpse of Madam Hooch in filming so far, with Louise taking over the role from Zoë Wanamaker, who starred in the movie franchise as the flying teacher.
Also in tow was Alastair Stout, who plays Ron Weasley, as they carried on shooting the show, which follows the same story as JK Rowling’s book franchise and is due for release in 2027, with new seasons releasing through the year 2037.
Dominic was clad in his character’s trademark billowing cloak as he made his way through the grounds of the historic location.
The National Trust website details the use of the estate in The Goblet of Fire, with notes reading: ‘Contrary to popular legend, a 400-year-old beech tree on the Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire was not in fact used as the Whomping Willow…
‘However, the estate did provide the setting for the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), when Harry and the Weasleys arrive in the woods via Portkey and encounter the Diggory family…
‘The tree that Cedric Diggory jumps down from was a distinctive, gnarled old specimen that stood in the Frithsden Beeches area of the estate…
‘Sadly, in 2014, the tree split in two and lay sprawled across the common, but visitors can still visit the location and see what’s left of the grand old structure.’
Henry VIII took possession of the Ashridge Estate in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and it later became a royal residence.
Other productions to take place in the grounds include Maleficent, Plotlands, Sleepy Hollow, Jonathan Creek, The Dirty Dozen and The Crown.
Earlier this month, one village being constructed for the new show, which will feature John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Rebeus Hagrid, was pictured for the first time in Hertfordshire.
The sets being constructed looked to be a thatched cottage, a road, a sports stand, a greenhouse and a stone outbuilding.
While details are not yet clear, the sports stand could be for scenes involving the fictional sport of Quidditch, while other locations could be the Burrow which is the family home of the Weasleys and Hagrid’s Hut.
The nearby farm area was also snapped having been transformed into the wizarding world, with filming thought to soon be moving there from the current area in Cornwall being used to shoot scenes.
Surrounding villages in have also been transformed into 1980s-like locations, with Hoddesdon in particular given a historic makeover to transport it back to the setting for the novel’s prologue.
During filming, an estate agent window showed the huge rise of inflation that has hit the economy in the past four decades, with houses available to purchase for as little as £25,000.
A newsstand also offered a throwback to the headlines that dominated conversation at the time, with one familiar newspaper featuring a splash of a beaming image of Princess Diana following the announcement she was pregnant.
The splash, which had the publication date of November 1, 1981, showed the late Princess Of Wales stepping out while the report stated she’d received well-wishes from around the world in the wake of her baby news.
