On a shot in the dark, I googled something I saw on a TV show (Anthony Bourdain, I think) a long time ago, and BINGO!
The small structures in front of the London facades are Cabmen's Shelters.
I'm new here. I've read back through several dozen pages of this thread, but I still have a few questions, such as:
1. How many entrances are there to Diagon Alley from the London Waterfront and/or King's Cross? The main entrance to DA above is awfully small.
2. Any idea how wide DA (i.e. the street) is itself? It appears to be narrower than Hogsmeade High Street.
3. Is WWW the only shop that will feature space that guests can visit on more than one floor? Why don't more of the shops have upper floors? It seems like this would be a no-brainer if you want to accommodate large crowds without sacrificing the intimate feel of individual shops.
4. Could the ramp in the Leaky Cauldron simply be a waiting line that directs guests through food displays (perhaps some with interactive magical elements), as in 3 Broomsticks?
5. What's this about a Ministry of Magic performance or something? Is there a MoM building planned for the future?
And a few comments/reflections:
1. I would love to see street performers and street vendors hawking food, drinks, and magical items along Carkitt Market, especially if they can even remotely pull off an English, Scottish, or British accent. This would be a good place for Colin Creevey-style photographers, as well. (Guests could order & pick up their photos from either Owl Post perhaps.) Last summer I attended an HP convention at Universal, and there was a vendor there who created portraits featuring computer-generated patroni. Maybe they'll get those guys back.
2. Love the tea shop idea, but seating would be a problem. Tea carts in Carkitt Market, featuring hot tea and sweets to go, might work.
3. I'm disappointed there's no real apothecary. I was looking forward to floo powder, troll slime kits, test tube liquid candies, fairy dust sun screen, spellotape bandages, pink umbrellas, and other more-or-less practical items. An interactive Chinese herb cabinet and wall of specimens would be very "immersive," too, wouldn't they?
4. I'd like to see a broader menu at LC - Gillywater, mead, elderflower wine, and firewhisky at the bar, pork pie, toad in the hole, scotch eggs, ploughman's lunch, and maybe mulligatawny stew in the restaurant, with treacle fudge or trifle for dessert. I guess Bertie Botts Every Flavour Jello Shots would be too much to ask for.