The iconic triple-decker purple bus famed for its role as the Knight Bus in the Harry Potter movies, is due to go on display at the Leavesden Studios in Watford this week so fans of the movies can get up and close to the actual vehicle used during filming for the films.
Contrary to the belief of many Harry Potter fans who assumed the Knight Bus was created using CGI and computer graphics, the giant purple bus was in fact created by the Harry Potter set designers who actually made the vehicle from scratch by taking two 60-year-old London Routemaster buses, taking them apart, and then bolting them back together again to create the triple-decker bus.
The project took several weeks to complete as a great deal of strengthening work had to be done on the 60-year-old body of the bus to ensure it was safe and secure in its new triple-decker form.
The extended height of the Knight Bus also caused a few problems during filming on location in London as the vehicle was unable to travel on many routes in the city as it was unable to travel under the vast majority of bridges.
The Knight Bus will be on display at the Leavesden Studios along with other authentic sets, props and costumes from the Harry Potter movies.