So, what's bubbling in the cauldron?     The IT Elves have been at it again... Tuesday July 11th, 2017 Please bear with us as we update this website to provide some exciting new features and even more sneaky peeks inside the Enchanted Manor at Magic Alley.   Oh, and please bear with us if you're having problems getting through by telephone - the Telephony Elves have been employing gremlins to fix the wiring after hours and it means we have somewhat of an intermittent service, although they have promised to have this fixed very very soon.

This summer a great secret will be revealed... Magical moments don't happen too often, but if you open your eyes you might just find that they happen more often than you might think.   Something magical is stirring deep in the heart of Magic Alley and a magical transformation is taking place. The great Roger Bacon, also known by the scholastic accolade Doctor Mirabilis, was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods and was the author of a great book of knowledge called the "Secretum Secretorum".  Although his exact date and place of birth are unknown, he is thought to have come from a relatively wealthy family. He studied and later taught at Oxford University and also taught the University of Paris. Bacon had a wide range of interests. He investigated optics and the refraction of light through lenses, leading to the development of spectacles. He sought reform of the calendar and was interested in astronomy. In 1266, at the request of Pope Clement IV, he collected many of his observations in his 'Opus Maius', an encyclopaedia of all science. This 'Opus Maius' was in fact a great book of secrets derived from the Kitab Sirr al-Asrar ( a letter from Aristotle to Alexander the Great) and was often referred to as the "Secretum Secretorum" when it was referenced by scholars throughout the Middle Ages.  The original manuscript was misplaced at the stroke of midnight on December 31st 1900 along with various inhabitants of the town of Wizard's Thatch when a strengthening of the "Rules Britannia" went horribly awry. However, this summer, the Ministry of Time have promised that the this great work will once agin return to Magic Alley in an amazing new exhibit - for Field Agents only... Opens July 21st.

By the pricking of my thumbs, a wicked festival this way comes...  Stratford’s Annual Halloween Festival is even spookier than before. Now in its eleventh year, Stratford’s longest festival will once again be centred on  Magic Alley  from 1 October - 31 October 2017.    This October, join us for 31 days of spooky fun, terrifying tales and mischievous mayhem as we go “Trick or Treating” in the enchanted World of Wizard’s Thatch! Magic Alley will be packed with Halloween goodies and treats that you can’t get from anywhere else. The Enchanted Manor will undergo a spooky metamorphosis that will make you scream with delight as we use our magical storytelling talents to bring the ghost stories of Stratford alive! Suitable for children of all ages Dave Matthews, author of the Chronicles of Wizard’s Thatch, will be revealing secrets that don’t appear in the books and bringing his tales to life as only he can! And then after dark, the grown ups can join the sinister Professor for terrifying tales by candlelight as he brings the macabre tale of Alice’s House vividly to life - this is strictly for adults only and definitely not for the faint hearted!

The real Father Christmas will be coming to visit us again this year - bookings now open. Whether marking a child's first Christmas or honouring a family tradition, a visit to the Magic Alley Christmas Grotto is the perfect way to start the festive season, as well as an opportunity to make special memories that will be remembered forever as every visitor gets the chance to meet the big man himself. Everyone who visits Father Christmas receives a specially commissioned story to be read together as a family on Christmas Eve, and every child their very own Sleigh Bell.   Call us to book your tickets for your visit to see Father Christmas in 2017:  01789 290969

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Welcome to the Original Wizarding World created a full seven years before the first Harry Potter book was published

So, which came first Magic Alley or JK Rowling's Diagon Alley?   The first Magic Alley & Creaky Cauldron store opened just off the Greenwich High Road in London in 1990 a full 7 years before the publication of the first Harry Potter book.  Who would have thought when we started selling wands, spells, books, broomsticks and "Original Tudor Recipe ButterBeer" all those years ago how much the world would have changed over the years. Everything we do is based on the bestselling Chronicles of Wizard’s Thatch series of books and we do not sell Harry Potter merchandise. However, we'd like to thank JK Rowling for creating her magical world and in turn making our magical world even more accessible. And although our London store is sadly no longer open, we'd like to encourage you to seek the magic of the original Wizarding World here in Stratford upon Avon for yourself.

To book your timed entry slot for the Enchanted Manor Museum in Stratford upon Avon, or to purchase our books by Owl Order please call one of our team members in Stratford upon Avon on 01789 290969