THE DARK KNIGHTMARE

‘Batman’ Manor Owner Could Lose It Over Bats

The sprawling estate appears in the first film of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy.

The owner of a mansion used as Wayne Manor in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins movie could lose the property because of bats. Simon Halabi, an investor once valued at around $4.3 billion, has been told his Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire must prove that a bat ecologist has inspected the building to determine whether animals live in its roof. All bat species are protected under British law because of their dwindling numbers, meaning that any building where they could be nesting must be officially inspected before any renovation work takes place. Halabi purchased the sprawling manor owned by the Rothschild family in 1999, but its condition has since deteriorated and itrequires urgent repairs. If the owner of the manor does not prove that a so-called “bat survey” has been carried out within a month, the local council could ask the government to acquire the mansion, pending legal action. Henrietta Billings, director of Save Britain’s Heritage, has welcomed the push to carry out the “urgent and overdue repairs” on the sprawling building, which has stood since 1854. The manor has appeared in other films, including 2001’s The Mummy Returns and the Spice Girls’ 1998 music video for “Goodbye.”