Magic Alley

2.5 stars.
Walking in, you enter a dimly lit storefront selling £30 carved wands. It is clear who this establishment is targeting.
I can imagine that the gimmicky nature of the Magic Alley is met with more enthusiasm around Halloween. However, during the warm and sunny Spring and Summer months, the last thing one would enjoy is venturing into this dark and cramped haphazard «collection» of «witchy» memorabilia. Everything is so poorly displayed, dustily ignored, and terrible quality, that the «museum» aspect of the Magic Alley is obviously a joke. At least, I hope so.
The bulk of my 2.5 stars comes from the ice cream and butterbeer served in the back (also cramped, with room for only around 6 people). The Creaky Cauldron Café serves a non-​alcoholic butterbeer made of ginger beer and vanilla ice cream. It’s quite delicious. So good that a friend of mine asked later on in the week if we might stop by the Magic Alley again. So their butterbeer is a definite success. Likewise, they had several unique flavours among their handmade ice creams. My favourite being «honeycomb» with actual bits of soft and chewy honeycomb throughout. Thick and creamy, it was an ice cream revelation.
There is a 5 quid admission per person to access the «museum» and other features on the upper floor. Avoid. It is a tourist trap and offers nothing of significance.
However, if you find yourself thirsty after touring Shakespeare’s birthplace, venture over here for a refreshing butterbeer or cold treat.