Hogwarts Castle Map

Tuesday 22nd February 2011

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This is my map of Hogwarts Castle as seen in the film series. It is hand-drawn, -coloured and -labelled and took my the best part of a month to complete including a lot of research and preparation beforehand.

As the castle changes in each film adaptation, whether drastically or only subtly, it was hard to decide on which elements to include and which to ignore. I chose the castle seen during the Order of the Phoenix movie and video game, as I believe it has the most character and is the most interesting . However, I have tried to incorporate elements from all movie adaptations (not including the castle we see during the Deathly Hallows trailer).

As the map is drawn on A2, there is the possibility that the labels could be blurred. So, here they are (going from top to bottom and across): Entrance Gates, Forbidden Forest, Centaurs’ Clearing, Groundskeeper’s Hut, Quidditch Pitch, Whomping Willow, Stone Circle, Owlery, Beach, Covered Bridge, Quidditch Gate, Clock Tower, Training Grounds, North Tower, Hospital Wing, Gryffindor Tower, Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower, Training Grounds Tower, Grand Staircase, The Quad, Suspension Bridge, Dark Tower, Middle Courtyard, Great Hall, Entrance Courtyard, Stone Bridge, Viaduct, Bell Towers, Central Tower, Greenhouses, Boat House, Hogsmeade →, Hogsmeade Station ↓.

Are you sitting comfortably...? Here is my explanation of why I have put things in specific locations. Firstly, where is north on this map? Well, I actually don’t have a clue and the North Tower is probably the most controversially placed tower on the map. However I have chosen the location of this tower accompanying the Divination Classroom in the Order of the Phoenix video game. From this game, we know that the classroom is accessible via a staircase located on a corridor coming off the Grand Staircase (sorry, I couldn’t make that any shorter). We know that it can’t be the same tower as the Gryffindor Tower, and the “North” aspect would make no sense if it was the tower at the end of the Stone Bridge and so I decided it has to be this one.

Regarding the castle itself, I hope most areas are self-explanatory. The Boat House, Viaduct, Great Hall, Grand Staircase, Entrance Courtyard, Stone Bridge, Suspension Bridge, Quad, Middle Courtyard and Greenhouses are as they are seen in all the films they appear in, with particular detail coming from sections in Chamber of Secrets. The Central Tower and Bell Towers are as they can be seen from Prisoner of Azkaban onwards, ignoring their design from movies 1 and 2. I have decided to keep the Defence Against the Dark Arts Tower and Dark Tower on this map, although they are replaced by the Astronomy Tower in Half-Blood Prince. Although the Astronomy Tower is important, I believe it was unnecessary to replace these two towers. Next, as we never get a very good view of the Training Ground Tower, except for one section in Goblet of Fire, I have basically made this tower up from what little material I had. The paved X area in between the Training Grounds and Greenhouses is supposed to be the are we see the trio walking on in Philosopher’s Stone on their way to Hagrid’s, however it was quite a squeeze and so it is not as big as it should be. As for the Gryffindor Tower, I have placed it where we see Harry looking out of the window in Goblet of Fire as this is the only reference we have as to its location. We know the location of the Hospital Wing from Prisoner of Azkaban as well as the Clock Tower.

The Covered Bridge and Stone Circle are also placed in the locations we see them in Prisoner of Azkaban, and the Owlery from its location in Goblet of Fire. The Training Grounds is how it can bee seen in the Half-Blood Prince video game without the dilapidated walls as I think they look scruffy. The Quidditch Gate can also be seen in the Half-Blood Prince video game, however I’m only guessing about the path leading to the Quidditch Pitch as I think it makes sense. The Groundskeeper’s Hut is in its position from Prisoner of Azkaban onwards, however I have decided to include the path leading from the Entrance Gate seen in Half-Blood Prince as it is a prominent feature from the books. Continuing the path, I have taken it around the walls of the castle to a crossroads showing the location of Hogsmeade as we see it in Prisoner of Azkaban. Indicating the direction of Hogsmeade Station gives the possibility for it to be in its location from Philosopher’s Stone or Order of the Phoenix. I hope the location of the Forbidden Forest is predominantly self-explanatory, however I have put the Centaurs’ Clearing where there is a clearing in the Order of the Phoenix video game. The small lake located close to the Quidditch Pitch is supposed to be the one where the dementors attack Harry and Sirius in Prisoner of Azkaban, as I don’t think it took place on the Black Lake. The Whomping Willow is where we see it in Prisoner of Azkaban, however I realise there are too many trees surrounding it and it is too far away from the Stone Circle. The Beach is supposed to be the one we see Hagrid skimming stones from in Prisoner of Azkaban and Krum stretching on in Goblet of Fire. The small jetty located close to the Stone Circle is supposed to be where the students take boats during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, as I knew you couldn’t see the lake-towers from there. The larger of the two islands is the only reference to Deathly Hallows I have made and it is supposed to be where Dumbledore’s tomb is located, however I have no evidence to back up this decision.

Finally, I just thought it would be a nice touch to include the Hogwarts crest as a slightly surreal element to the picture. Please enjoy looking at the drawing, however please do not use it without my permission. Thank you.

Harry Potter characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. © J.K. Rowling.

Hogwarts Castle © Joe Worthington October 2010.