Forget Hogwarts - go to witches and wizard school at Hoghton Tower

Would-be witches and wizards have been invited to enrol in the Tower’s very own School of Witchcraft & Wizardry this February half term. Youngsters are being encouraged to embrace their imaginations and channel their inner wizards in an immersive storytelling adventure at the 16th century Lancashire property, near Preston. The magical school returns after proving hugely popular with visitors when it debuted last year.

Hoghton’s faculty of magical professors will be teaching how to cast spells, brew exploding potions and practise broomstick racing in a series of spellbinding lessons full of mystery, magic and mischief. Suitable for children aged 6-10 years old, fancy dress is strongly recommended, although students are also advised to wear warm clothing and flat footwear as some of the lessons may involve venturing into the tower’s underground passages.

Tickets for the events, between February 16 -18. cost £12 for children and £5 for an accompanying adult. Online pre-booking is essential and all students must be accompanied by a ticket-holding adult at all times. The tearoom will be open from 10am – 3pm for those with pre-booked tickets for the magical workshops. Children’s lunch packages (£5.50) can also be pre-booked. There will be sandwiches, cakes and drinks available for adults to purchase. Those attending a session beginning at 1pm will need to eat before they start, as the tearoom will be closed by the time it has finished.

Steeped in history and commanding breath-taking views across the county, Grade-1 listed Hoghton Tower is a spectacular 16th-century fortified manor-house. Situated 650ft above sea level and approached by a steep, nearly mile-long straight drive, the Grade I listed building is the ancestral home of the de Hoghton family, who still live on the estate. The Tower has been welcoming illustrious visitors for more than 500 years; from kings and queens to William Shakespeare, who is reputed to have acted as a tutor to the de Hoghton children, JMW Turner and Charles Dickens, who wrote a short story based at Hoghton.

For more information and to pre-book online go to www.hoghtontower.co.uk