Harry Potter’s triple-decker Knight Bus rolled into Leavesden Studios today, as Warner Bros. announced the purple vehicle would be taking its place among the many authentic sets, props and costumes from the boy wizard’s eight films.

The Knight Bus first made an appearance on screen in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and will become a permanent fixture for visitors to admire at the studios, in Aerodrome Way.

According to special effects supervisor John Richardson, the Knight Bus was one of the most complicated pieces to create in the production.

He said: “Although many people think the Knight Bus was a CGI creation, it is in fact a real-life working bus. To construct it, we cut up two iconic Routemaster buses, reworked the structure and bolted it all back together to create one bus with three decks.

“It took weeks to put it together and it was no easy task. Routemasters are 60 years old, so we had to do a lot of strengthening of the structure.

“Another issue we had was filming on location in London.

“During the shooting of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban we found we could not drive it across the capital due to the number of low bridges. This meant that we had to transport the bus in two pieces between locations and put it back together between filming.

“That definitely was a challenge.”

Visitors to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter, which opens on March 31, will be able to pose for photos on the bus and explore its chandelier-bedecked contents.

The Knight Bus will be positioned next to Hagrid’s motorbike and the often recognised blue Ford Anglia.

Mr Richardson added: “I feel very proud that a film franchise I have dedicated a number of years of my life to is being honoured in this way.

“Not only is all our hard work showcased in the films, but to have it displayed to fans and visitors to the studios – it’s overwhelming.”