Harry Potter exhibition showcases magical items in Edinburgh

Exhibits on display at the Harry Potter exhibition in the Central Library, Edinburgh.

Harry Potter: A History of Magic display is on show at Edinburgh’s Central Library to mark the 20th anniversary of first book in J K Rowling’s hugely popular series.

Displays will launch simultaneously at 20 public libraries all over the UK, running in tandem with a flagship exhibition at the British Library in London.

Fans of the boy wizard will be able to look at specially-designed panels featuring images of rare books, manuscripts and magical objects featured in the British Library exhibition.

The displays will also include images of material from both Rowling’s and publisher Bloomsbury’s own collections.

Edinburgh’s own ties to magic will also be showcased, with the Capital’s display set to include ancient books from the Royal Observatory and magical herbs from the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Rowling wrote parts of her first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, in a number of cafes across the city.

She famously finished the series at the Balmoral Hotel, writing on a bust of Greek god Hermes: “J K Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on 11th Jan 2007”.

The exhibition, which opens tomorrow, will be followed by a series of events scheduled to take place across the city over the coming months.

These will range from a visit by Hedwig and Pigwidgeon lookalikes from the Scottish Owl Centre, a magic school tutorial and special events at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.

Ian Perry, the council’s education, children and families convener, said the display was sure to capture the minds of Harry Potter fans both young and old.

He said: “We’re extremely pleased to be working with the British Library to bring its magic to the Capital, which has such a strong connection to the stories.

“As an ancient city, Edinburgh itself is steeped in folklore, so it is particularly fitting to bring the book’s enchantment to our own historic Central Library.

“What’s more, we’ll be running a range of exciting events across the city in celebration of the exhibition, which I would thoroughly recommend.”