Harry Potter pops into palace (From Oxford Mail)

Harry Potter pops into palace

8:53am Thursday 27th July 2006

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A touch of magic was cast across the grounds of Blenheim Palace as film crews moved in to shoot scenes for the next Harry Potter film this week.

Although palace staff and the production company Warner Bros were staying tight-lipped yesterday, the Oxford Mail can reveal that a location near the park's lake will feature in the much-anticipated Order of the Phoenix.

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the young wizard, was among cast members and film crews who descended on the palace on Monday for a two-day shoot.

Filming finished on Tuesday and Warner Bros refused to say whether other cast members, such as 15-year-old Oxford schoolgirl Emma Watson, who plays Harry's friend Hermione Granger, were on set.

A spokesman said: "I'm afraid I can't give out too may details at this stage, as the film is not released until July 2007 and we don't want to spoil it for audiences."

Millions of copies of the Harry Potter books, written by JK Rowling, have been sold worldwide and the past four films charting Harry's time at Hogwarts School of Magic and his fight against the Dark Lord Voldemort are among the biggest-ever cinema blockbusters.

In the Order of Phoenix, Harry and his friends struggle to make the wizarding community believe that Voldermort has returned.

The film is said to be darker in tone than the previous movies in the series.

It is not the first time Oxfordshire locations have been picked for the Harry Potter movies.

Scenes in previous films were shot at Christ Church and the Bodleian Library in Oxford.