CANCELLED: Harry Potter tour at the Ashmolean

harry potter

Image as: WA1898.18 Anonymous British, John Dee (1527 - 1608) Image © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

What does a real crystal ball look like? Why might you slip a love potion into Gillywater? What is the alchemical meaning behind the names of Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid and Sirius Black? Did Elias Ashmole really believe that he could make the Philosopher’s Stone?

If you have ever wondered about the history behind the Hogwarts adventures, then this is the tour for you. J.K. Rowling’s imagination was fired by the historical myths and magic and on this tour we will look some of the Ashmolean’s treasures which illuminate the real-world sources of her ideas. We will look at classical and Renaissance objects to explore some of the ways in which Harry Potter works its magic on the stories and material culture of the past.

This tour will be led by Dr Beatrice Groves, Research Fellow and Lecturer in Renaissance literature at Trinity College, and author of Literary Allusion in Harry Potter.

 

Free. Booking is essential.