Interactive elements add to the fun too as we get the chance to concoct potions and have some tarot cards determine out future, both utilising slick touch sensitive technology. In many of these instances, history and facts are just as strange as fiction. A lovely illustration of a real life bird-eating spider sits next to a drawing of a mythical spider-type creature from the Potter universe. Nearby is a book that is hundreds of years old, illustrating five different species of unicorn. In one room we see drawings of Fantastic Beasts such as the Snallygaster. This exhibition seamlessly blends fact with fiction to the point where we found ourselves which myths are from JK Rowling's imagination, and which are from hundreds of years ago. A section of the immense 6 metre scroll on how to make the Philosopher's Stone. Joseph Wright of Derby's 'Alchymist' works away in a dark lab in an oil painting, which doesn't look too different to somewhere we can imagine Harry Potter and chums brewing up potions. Other highlights include a beautiful 17th century celestial globe and a 13th century Arabic astrolabe. One stunning inclusion is a 6 metre scroll from the 1500s showing us how to make the Philosopher's stone. The British Library adds its own take by including a selection of its own items on the topics of potions, sorcery, mythical beasts and all things magical. A phoenix rises from the ashes in a 13th century bestiary.
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