Early this morning, Leicester Square witnessed the biggest gathering of Harry Potter fans since the final film premier was held there in 2011. Fans of LEGO and J. K. Rowling’s famous wizard were out in force, excitedly queuing outside the store, some camping out overnight for the highly anticipated 71043 Hogwarts Castle set, which is now available.

At over 6,000 pieces, 71043 Hogwarts Castle is the second-largest LEGO set released by the company to date. Packed full of amazing architectural detail and showcasing almost every important scene from the series, it certainly lives up to its billing. Earlier today we posted a full review of the Hogwarts Castle LEGO set that covers every nook and cranny of the impressive build.

Inside the store, a magical makeover had been undertaken, with a life-sized sorting hat installed. It was time for us all to find out which house we would be sorted into. There was also an opportunity to make and take away an authentic Harry Potter LEGO wand.

Later in the day lead designer Justin Ramsden was on hand to sign sets for the faithfully waiting fans. Justin came to the LEGO community’ notice back in 2007 when he built a stunning bust of the late singer Amy Winehouse. He went on to study design at Goldsmiths, University of London, with the aspiration of becoming a LEGO designer. This childhood dream was documented in the Channel 4 documentary The Secret Life of LEGO in 2015. Since taking on his role in the company, Justin has been responsible for multiple high profile sets including 76051 Super Hero Airport Battle and the adaptation of fan builder Kevin Szeto’s 21306 The Beatles Yellow Submarine.

As a lifelong fan of Harry Potter, the chance to build Hogwarts Castle was the icing on the cake of an already amazing career; and that obsession really shines through in the final product.

Sadly my time at the LEGO store-Hogwarts had to come to an end and I left the shop still buzzing with excitement, but it’s a day I’ll remember “always”.