Batman's Mansion: The Story Of Mentmore Towers

The fictional home of Batman, this is Wayne Manor. Of course in the real world it's called Mentmore Towers and it's located in Buckinghamshire, England. This place has been in the news recently as it's facing severe structural decline. It has leaking roofs, rotting leadwork and crumbling masonry and if these aren't sorted the owners run the risk of a compulsory purchase by the council. Ironically enough inspectors discovered bat droppings inside the building meaning three official bat emergence surveys must be completed before heavy structural work can start. The mansion was built between 1852 and 1854 for Baron Mayor Amschel de Rothschild. It was designed by Sir Joseph Paxton who's famous for the Crystal Palace alongside co-architect George Henry Stokes. Interestingly it was inspired by Wollaton Hall in Nottinghamshire which also appears in the Dark Knight trilogy. When Baron Mayor Amschel de Rothschild decided to build this dream palace in the 1850s he found the perfect location at the top of a hill commanding the most majestic view of the Vale of Aylesbury. But the only problem was that there was already a traditional English village already sitting on it. So instead of compromising his view the Baron simply demolished and moved the entire village of Mentmore to a lower spot down the hill. Fortunately for the locals it wasn't a ruthless eviction. The original village was in poor condition and Rothschild built them far superior picturesque new cottages and even paid to restore the local church making it a massive upgrade for the residents. Hannah de Rothschild who would eventually inherit the house and become the wealthiest woman in Britain had a connection to Mentmore that literally started in the cradle. In 1851 when she was just five months old her parents carried her to the construction site and had her tiny hands help lay the first foundational stone of the mansion. When her father passed away in 1874 she inherited an astronomical fortune of two million pounds in cash equivalent to hundreds of millions today. Hannah went on to marry Archibald Primrose the fifth Earl of Rosebury who would later become the Prime Minister of Great Britain. The match caused a massive stir in Victorian society. The Rothschilds were Europe's preeminent Jewish dynasty and marrying a Christian aristocrat was highly controversial. Despite intense pressure Hannah refused to convert and remained a deeply committed practicing Jew and philanthropist her entire life. There was a famous albeit cynical rumour that the Earl of Rosebury had three explicit goals in life. One was to marry a great heiress, two was to win the Epsom Derby and three was to become the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Sadly Hannah died suddenly of typhoid fever in 1890 at the young age of 39 never getting to see her husband reached the pinnacle of his career. Bewildered without her counsel and driving energy the Earl did eventually achieve his remaining goals, winning the Derby and serving a brief chaotic term as Prime Minister in 1894. But his political career quickly unravelled without her by his side. Mentmore Towers is famous for the sale of the century. It was built to showcase a vast collection of fine art and 16th to 18th century European treasures. Following the death of the sixth Earl in 1974 the estate was offered to the British government in lieu of death duties but the offer was refused. In May of 1977 a famous nine-day auction by Sotheby's dispersed its priceless contents and this event was dubbed the sale of the century. Following this sale the house was stripped bare and the empty shell of Mentmore Towers was bought by the Maharishi Foundation for £240,000. For the next two decades the Victorian Palace became the global headquarters for the followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guru famous for teaching meditation to the Beatles. Going back in time to World War II this place played a vital covert role in safeguarding the UK's cultural heritage. Eva Primrose the Countess of Rosemary offered the estate's outbuildings to the government. This highly classified storage area was nicknamed the refuge and for the duration of the war it safely housed the gold state coach, the entire collection of the National Portrait Gallery, masterpieces from the Royal Collection and historical carvings by Grinling Gibbons stripped from Hampton Court Palace. Now it's up to the Batman team to see if they can save this iconic mansion. Thanks for watching and please do make sure to subscribe for more videos.