Mentmore Towers was built between 1852 and 1854 for the Rothschild family in the village of Mentmore, in Bucks.
- Mentmore Towers built between 1852 and 1854 in Mentmore, Buckinghamshire
- Originally created as display case for Baron Meyer de Rothschild’s art collection
- Family sold it in 1970s and plan to turn it into a hotel by latest owner fell through
A once a fabulous mansion used for Hollywood blockbusters such as Batman Begins and Eyes Wide Shut, now a little worse for wear.
Mentmore Towers, built between 1852 and 1854 for the Rothschild family in the village of Mentmore, in Buckinghamshire, is seen practically derelict.
The massive home features a revival of late 16th and early 17th century Elizabethan and Jacobean styles and was originally created as a display case for Baron Meyer de Rothschild’s huge fine art collection.
The vaulted hall used in Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 epic Eyes Wide Shut starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise can also be clearly seen in the images.
Others may recognise parts of the property as Wayne Manor, the home of Bruce Wayne in the 2005 film Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale.
The pad also provided the backdrop to Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, Philip Kaufman’s Marquis de Sade biographical film Quills and as the PM’s residence Chequers in Ali G Indahouse in 2002.
And even the Spice Girls visited in 1998 to film the music video for Goodbye, following in the footsteps of other artists, including Roxy Music, Mike Oldfield and Enya.
However after a deal to turn the site into a hotel fell through, it now lies derelict and crumbling, with water pouring through the roof, some of which has now collapsed.
Much of the house’s parkland was sold off in 1944 but the house remained in the family until the mid 1970s when the contents were auctioned and it was sold to the Maharishi Foundation, which plugs meditation.
But in 1999 it was purchased by investor Simon Halabi who planned to turn it into a hotel, however the plans fell through and it has been empty ever since.
The hotel would have featured 171 suites, including 122 in a new wing on the slope below the house.
But the plans were delayed after a local resident pushed for a judicial review of the planning permission.
The challenge was defeated but the global financial crash of 2008 saw the project stall.
Mr Halabi – once worth £3 billion and once Britain’s richest man – then declared bankruptcy in 2010 and the property has fallen into decay ever since.
Pictures of the manor house taken by an urban explorer and photographer show the heartbreaking state of its decline.
Water has come through ceilings in the kitchen quarters while wallpaper has shrivelled and is falling from walls and tapestries are still clinging on in some rooms.
However, grand furniture still remains in the main hall – seen in an iconic scene in Eyes Wide Shut – and huge entertaining rooms are covered in gold leaf.
www.wesoldit.co.uk are estate agents in Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard.
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