It’s on the front page of today’s Daily Prophet – delivered by owl, obviously. ‘Hogwarts is Coming to Hannahs!’

Grab your wand and prepare to hop on your Nimbus 3000, as a stunning exhibition called Illustrating Harry Potter comes to the Seale-Hayne site this summer (July 3 to September 25), showcasing original illustrations, sketches, models and final prints from the brand new edition of J K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, illustrated by Jim Kay.

The spellbinding exhibition has been put together by Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books in Newcastle (where the exhibition is currently running), and Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

Jim Kay was personally selected by J K Rowling to bring her wizarding world alive with his dazzling illustrations. Over the next few years, Jim will be reimagining all seven books, with the first now available in a beautiful hardback edition.

Visitors will be able to pore over intricate sketches and stunning pencil drawings and discover Jim’s complex, creative process from inspiration to final illustration. Best of all, fans will be able to come face-to-face with breathtaking portraits of their favourite characters from Hogwarts…let’s hope they stay in their frames!

With a sprinkling of Floo Powder, the exquisite exhibition will allow fans to be transported into the enchanting world of Harry Potter and includes Jim’s model of the Hogwarts Express, impressive concept artwork of iconic scenes and characters, a short film revealing how he approached illustrating J K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and final oil on board artwork of Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore. 

Andrew Dean, director of development and engagement at the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust, said: ‘We are thrilled to be welcoming such an exciting and beautiful exhibition to Hannahs at Seale-Hayne. Our beautiful site is often compared to Hogwarts and it’s certainly a place where magic takes place on a daily basis. We hope that visitors not only enjoy this breathtaking exhibition, but also discover something about our ethos and our work to make disability incidental.’