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Harry Potter village flooded with tourists despite COVID lockdown

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Credit: Warner Bros)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Credit: Warner Bros)

The village of Lacock in Wiltshire, which was used as a location for two of the Harry Potter movies, is as busy as it is in peak summer, despite the coronavirus lockdown restrictions in place.

Residents told the BBC that visitors have been open about travelling to the village from as far away as Wales for the day.

One villager, Nathan Todd, said: “It's more foot traffic than ever before, all because of lockdown. You get people coming out with maps and backpacks on.

A view of the cloisters in Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire, April 1997.  (Photo by RDImages/Epics/Getty Images)
The cloisters in Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire (Credit: RDImages/Epics/Getty Images)

“They've got their whole family there, having picnics.”

Another, Mark Johns, said that the village was 'as busy as a normal summer's day'.

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Wiltshire's Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: “I've set the policing tone that we will robustly but fairly and consistently follow the regulations that have been set out by the government.”

The village, just south of Chippenham, was a filming location for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as well as spin off movie Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Michelle Dockery and other cast members on the Downton Abbey film set in Lacock, Wiltshire. (Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)
Michelle Dockery and other cast members on the Downton Abbey film set in Lacock, Wiltshire. (Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)

Scenes depicting Hogwarts were filmed at nearby Lacock Abbey, which is owned by the National Trust.

The village has also been used as a location for the likes of Downton Abbey, Cranford, the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Disney's 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast.

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