Charing Cross Road

• Type: Muggle Street / Magical Entrance
• Location: London, England
• Owner/Residents: N/A (The Leaky Cauldron, located on the street, is owned by Tom the Innkeeper)
• Key Features: A real-world street in London that serves as the Muggle-side location for the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron and, by extension, Diagon Alley.

Charing Cross Road is a prominent street in Muggle London. To the non-magical eye, it appears as an ordinary, busy thoroughfare. However, for the wizarding community, it holds the location of the Leaky Cauldron, the pub that serves as the public entrance to Diagon Alley. The Leaky Cauldron is described as a tiny, grubby-looking pub wedged between a large bookshop and a record shop. It is magically concealed from Muggles, who pass by without a second glance, their eyes sliding over it. Witches and wizards, however, are able to see and enter it. As Rubeus Hagrid explains to Harry Potter, one must have magic to perceive it. The street itself is part of the route taken by the Knight Bus, which is shown to expertly navigate through its Muggle traffic to drop off and pick up passengers directly outside the Leaky Cauldron.

Charing Cross Road represents the primary threshold between Harry Potter's Muggle upbringing and his entry into the wizarding world. Its significance is most pronounced in the following instances:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Rubeus Hagrid brings Harry to the Leaky Cauldron via Charing Cross Road. It is here that Harry first steps into a magical establishment, transitioning from the mundane street into the hidden pub, and subsequently into Diagon Alley to purchase his Hogwarts supplies. This moment marks his true introduction to the magical community.
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: After fleeing the Dursleys, Harry Potter specifically requests the Knight Bus take him to the Leaky Cauldron. He then spends the remaining weeks of his summer holiday living at the pub, making Charing Cross Road his temporary home base. This reinforces the location's role as a central and accessible hub for wizards in London, and a place of refuge for Harry.

The primary and most significant magical location situated on Charing Cross Road is:

• The Leaky Cauldron: A popular and ancient wizarding pub and inn, providing food, drink, and lodging. It also contains the enchanted entryway to Diagon Alley in its small, walled courtyard.

• Charing Cross Road is a real street in London, famous for its many bookshops, particularly second-hand and specialist ones. J.K. Rowling's choice of this street is likely a nod to its literary associations, fitting for a story about a world discovered through literature.
• In the film adaptations, the physical location used for the exterior of the Leaky Cauldron varied. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the entrance was filmed in Leadenhall Market. For Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, a new location at 7 Stoney Street, near Borough Market, was used. (film)
• The name “Charing” is believed to derive from an Old English word for a bend in a river, while “Cross” refers to the last of the Eleanor Crosses, a medieval monument. This historical depth complements the idea of an ancient magical world existing alongside the modern one.