Filming at World Heritage Sites

Harry Potter and the Avengers at Durham Cathedral

Throughout the history of filmmaking, numerous World Heritage sites have been featured as central locations for high-profile films. From Auschwitz in Schindler’s List to Skellig Michael in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi to the Great Wall of China in The Karate Kid (2010), notable sites are repeatedly highlighted from various perspectives. Durham Castle and Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, joined the ranks of these iconic filming locations in 2001 with the shooting of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, then subsequently in 2002 with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and later as a location for Avengers: Endgame. Specific highlights of Durham Cathedral, known as the site of the first successful use of pointed arches as structural elements, include the cloisters and cloister garth, the nave, Galilee Chapel, Chapter House, and the triforium.

The cloisters and cloister garth serve as some of the immediately recognizable locations for any Harry Potter fan. Scenes such as Hedwig and Harry in the snow in Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry’s discovery of a petrified student and Ron vomiting slugs after a Quidditch confrontation in the second installation of the film series highlight the courtyard and traditional cloister setting. On set for Avengers: Endgame, a model of Rocket Raccoon, digitally voiced by Bradley Cooper, met Badger, cat of Dean-at-the-time Andrew Tremlett. Monks would have primarily used this area for meditation, studying/reading, and exercise.

Harry Potter and his owl, Hedwig, are seen in the cloister garth of Durham Cathedral in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

The Gryffindor Quidditch team in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (left), and Rocket Raccoon meeting Badger the cat on set for “Avengers: Endgame” (right), both pictured with the cloisters as a backdrop.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, Professor Minerva McGonagall’s Transfiguration classroom is set within the Chapter House of Durham Cathedral. Intended as the hub for the day-to-day business of the monastery, the Chapter House gets its name from the former practice of daily readings of a chapter from the Rule of St. Benedict within the house as the monks gathered around the room. The initial introduction to the Chapter House as a classroom comes with a surprise transfiguration by Professor McGonagall from a cat to herself upon Harry and Ron’s tardiness to her class in the earlier film, followed by Hermione’s inquiry into the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets in the second installment of the film series. The second depiction offers a broader view and more intricate décor than the initial setting.

Professor McGonagall’s Transfiguration classroom, filmed in the Chapter House at Durham Cathedral, seen in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (left), and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (right).

Also featured in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is Durham Cathedral’s triforium — a passageway for workers to access scaffolding and other cathedral areas for repairs. The triforium can be seen in the nave, where the mid-level windows are located. These areas hover above the side aisles of the nave and appear more similar to small rooms rather than passageways. For Sorcerer’s Stone, the triforium was used as the lair of the three-headed dog, Fluffy, guardian of the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Fluffy in Durham Cathedral’s Triforium passageway in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

The nave, or central area of the cathedral, was initially used for crowds and processions. The disestablishment of the monastery in 1539 led to the Durham Cathedral being taken over by the Church of England and eventually to its use for worship services, as still reigns true today. Avengers: Endgame featured the nave as an Asgardian palace when Thor travels back in time to visit his mother. The spectacular checkered floors and iconic columns garner attention in this scene, as well as the Galilee Chapel, the real-life resting place of St. Bede. A CGI alteration to note in the chapel is the window overlooking Asgard, which can be seen behind Thor and his mother in the close-up scene.

The nave and iconic columns are used as the setting for an Asgardian palace in “Avengers: Endgame,” pictured in the above three photos when Thor travels back in time to visit his mother.

In the same scene in “Avengers: Endgame,” Galilee Chapel is used as the setting for a different area of the Asgardian palace when Thor visits his mother. Here, the use of a green screen (left) and final product in the film (right) are displayed to show how Galilee Chapel was used as a palace that overlooks Asgard in the film.

For nearly a thousand years, Durham Castle and Cathedral have served countless generations of monks, worshippers, tourists, and film fans. The cathedral relishes in its pride as a filming location for movies like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and most recently, Avengers: Infinity Wars and Avengers: Endgame. Their website pays tribute to the films that have adapted the beloved cathedral as the backdrop for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and a palace in Thor and Loki’s home of Asgard, as evidenced by a recent celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the filming of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone occurred on the grounds of the cathedral in November of last year. A quick Google search of Durham Cathedral will prove that it is well-known for its appearances in these films, as its tourist population reflects. Durham Cathedral is still an active place of worship, with several services offered daily and virtual options. It is also a functioning museum offering guided tours through areas like the tower. Durham has indeed survived the test of time from its original build by the Norman Vikings to use as a monastery for monks until the Church of England took over in the 16th century and serves as a beautiful reminder of the cultural heritage of the area, and how it has evolved to adapt to the cultures it has served.

A screenshot of Durham Castle and Cathedral’s website exemplifies the pride of the World Heritage Site as a well-known filming location for the first two installments of the Harry Potter film series.