The Great Hall was one of the most important locations within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry castle as it accommodated everyone present in the castle whenever needed for assembly. It served as an area of assembly in the school for several major events and occasions, including the Sorting Ceremony, the Beginning of Term Feast, the House Cup Celebration, the End of Term Feast, and the regular assembly for meals and receiving owl post. Furthermore, it was the venue in which the Goblet of Fire was unveiled, and the champions for the Triwizard Tournament were revealed.
What Was The Great Hall Like?
The Great Hall was a place of assembly at Hogwarts where students ate, did their homework, and sometimes took part in events that happened there. The Hogwarts Great Hall was known for its interiors, including floating candles and an enchanted ceiling. It had four long tables, one for each house, where the students were supposed to sit. This served as the main gathering area for students. The Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff tables would all be decorated accordingly during the House Cup announcement and the End-of-Term-Feast but were otherwise similar in appearance. Interestingly, the House-Elves who worked in the Hogwarts kitchens underneath would send food to the tables from directly underneath the respective tables using magic.
Layout
At the front of the room was the staff table which was usually where teachers sat during events and feasts. The likes of Professor McGonagall, Severus Snape, Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore are seen frequently during feasts seated at the staff table. Other teachers like Professor Slughorn, Lupin, and Quirrell have also sat at the staff table during their tenure. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the staff table accommodated the guests for the Triwizard Tournament including Barty Crouch Sr, Madame Maxime and Igor Karkaroff.
The enchanted ceiling was bewitched to look like the skies and would be bright in the daytime and dark at night. Furthermore, depending on the weather conditions outside, the ceiling changed throughout the school year. The Great Hall was right after the entrance hall at Hogwarts and had a large ornate door. Furthermore, the Great Hall was connected to the portion of the campus that led to the Gryffindor common room and the common rooms of the other houses. There was a doorway from the Great Hall that directly led to a room full of portraits.
Appearance in The Harry Potter Series
The Great Hall first appeared in the Harry Potter series in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It is one of the most interesting locations that Harry encounters on his first trip to Hogwarts. He and several other first years, including his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, are escorted to the front of the hall, and the Sorting Ceremony takes place. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all put into Gryffindor. After the Sorting Ceremony, the Start-of-Term-Feast began in the Great Hall, which was a traditional event that occurred every year on September First.
Throughout the next few years, the Great Hall appears multiple times in the Harry Potter series. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the Great Hall appears several times after the Sorting Ceremony. The Great Hall is where Harry receives his first broom, gifted by Professor McGonagall. It is probably the main fictional setting of the Harry Potter novels and also appears numerous times in the Harry Potter movies.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the Great Hall is used by Gilderoy Lockhart as a place for the Duelling Club, which was meant to teach students to face their adversaries in times of danger. The tradition of dueling, although common for witches and wizards, was not shown in the series up until this point. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would duel each other, and Harry would eventually be revealed as a Parseltongue. Lockhart also hosts the Valentine’s Day special party, which was meant to serve as a morale booster for the students.
Also, the Christmas feast was held at the Great Hall every year in December. There are several large Christmas trees placed across the layout of the hall, and a feast is also organized in the Great Hall for students who stay back during Christmas. It is during one such feast in their second year that Harry and Ron spike some food with a sleeping potion, make Crabbe and Goyle eat it, and disguise themselves using Polyjuice Potion as Crabbe and Goyle and meet Malfoy to find out who the Heir of Slytherin is.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Great Hall was the place where the students assembled and slept at night when Sirius Black was reported to be sighted in the castle. The benches and tables were pushed aside, and the students were provided with sleeping bags. This was probably the only room that could house so many students in the castle.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the Great Hall is used as an assembly point for most celebrations related to the Triwizard Tournament, including the Yule Ball. In the Harry Potter films too, the Yule Ball is held at the Great Hall. After Cedric Diggory’s death, when the End-of-Year feast takes place, the decorations are done differently. To represent mourning and loss all house colors are replaced with black.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Great Hall appears several times, including the times that the O.W.L. exams are taken by the students of the fifth year and during the Apparition classes, which are held in the sixth year.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, a major part of the Battle of Hogwarts takes place in the Great Hall. After the first day of battle on 2 May 1998, the dead and the injured are kept in the Great Hall. Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Fred Weasley are among the major characters to die during this battle. On the next day, after Harry surprises everyone by rising from the dead, another part of the battle commences, most of which takes part in the Great Hall. At first, Bellatrix Lestrange, who is almost about to kill Ginny Weasley while dueling is stopped and killed by Molly Weasley. This enrages Voldemort, and as he is about to hurt a lot of people out of rage, Harry, who was under the Invisibility Cloak, comes out of it and duels with Voldemort, eventually killing him.
Illusion and Magic in Architecture
The Hogwarts Great Hall is one of the best examples of the usage of magic in architecture. The enchanted ceiling and the illusion of the Great Hall being roofless add to the architectural marvel that this structure is. In the Muggle world, although magic is unheard of, the concept of using illusion as a theme to add depth to architecture is not new at all. There are several buildings and structures throughout the world that make use of similar designs where the objective is to make the building look like a physical impossibility. For instance, several modern architects use elaborate showpieces like infinity mirrors which add to the charm of buildings and make them look very beautiful and unique.
FAQs
What is the main hall in Hogwarts called?
The main hall in Hogwarts was called the Hogwarts Great Hall. It was sometimes also referred to as the main hall. It was probably the largest room in Hogwarts castle and consisted of four tables for students of the four houses and a high table for members of the staff. It was arranged and rearranged accordingly based on what event it was used for.
What hall was used in Harry Potter?
The Great Hall is a major part of Hogwarts Castle, and several scenes for the movie adaptations were filmed there. The Great Hall in the movies was inspired by the Great Hall in Christchurch of Oxford, England. However, the movie was filmed at a different set piece which was modeled around Christchurch and not in the venue itself.
Where was the dining hall at Hogwarts filmed?
The dining hall at Hogwarts is the same as the Hogwarts Great Hall. It was filmed at an elaborate setpiece in the Leavesden Studios. The Leavesden Studios are situated in Watford, Hertfordshire, in South East England. The dining hall at Hogwarts was inspired by the design of the Christchurch Great Hall at Oxford, England, but the scenes were exclusively shot at the Leavesden Studios, where the set piece was made to look a lot like Christchurch.
