Seven Stories – The National Centre for Children’s Books announced that as part of its grand reopening in July, they will have an interactive display of Jim Kay's illustration of Diagon Alley, which will be featured in the deluxe edition of
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, available for purchase via Bloomsbury later this year.


The display will be featured on level 7, The Attic, and will be viewable for fans who visit for at least the next year.
For the grand re-opening Seven Stories has a worlde xclusive. To celebrate Jim Kay’s stunning full-colour illustrations for J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first in the series to be published in September 2015, by Bloomsbury, the attic will be transformed into the streets of Diagon Alley.
Kay had this to say about drawing the full version of Diagon Alley:
Quote:
I’ve had a fantastic time planning and drawing Diagon Alley for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I love old shopfronts and signs, and I’ve been using Philip Davies’ books Lost London 1870-1945 and Panoramas of Lost London as inspiration.
They give a fascinating insight into the way London looked in the late 19th and early20th centuries – lots of the buildings have now been lost, unfortunately, but we’re so lucky to have a photographic record of them. John Tallis’ London Street Views 1838-40 is also great for shop names and types – it’s like a Victorian Google Street View!
Seven Stories – The National Centre for Children’s Books is located at Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England.