National Trust west London property became Wayne Manor for The Dark Knight Rises (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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National Trust west London property became Wayne Manor for The Dark Knight Rises
2:15pm Wednesday 18th July 2012 in Leisure
WHEN The Dark Knight Rises hits cinema screens this weekend, the National Trust property in west London which doubled up as Wayne Manor will celebrate its own film history.
Osterley Park was chosen as the residence of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, thanks to its large rooms and grand interiors.
The production crew spent two months dressing Osterley as Wayne Manor, before the cast, including Christian Bale and Michael Caine arrived at the venue, in Jersey Road, in Isleworth, for a week of filming last summer.
Karina Swann, visitor experience and marketing manager at Osterley, said: "Wayne Manor was burnt down in an earlier film so Christopher Nolan was looking for a stunning period setting to act as the 'new' Wayne Manor. Like many of our visitors, he fell for Osterley's spectacular interiors, including the 130 foot Long Gallery, the entrance hall, the grand staircase and the breakfast room.
"But perhaps the most exciting location he picked was the library where, hidden behind a door in a bookcase, lies Osterley's real secret passage, a picture-perfect entrance to Batman's infamous bat cave."
To celebrate the release of The Dark Knight Rises, Osterley is hosting Real To Reel, an exhibition showing Osterley's on-screen career.
It includes An Alligator Named Daisy, a 1955 British comedy starring Diana Dors, and ends with the opportunity to visit the bat cave from The Dark Knight Rises. The exhibition will feature pictures and props from productions and looks at the challenges these present to conservationists.
Location fees earned at any National Trust sites are used to maintain that location. Money earned from The Dark Knight Rises shoot will pay for conservation specialists working at Osterley to re-instate the yellow breakfast room back to its eighteenth century decor.
The Dark Knight Rises opens nationwide on Friday, July 20. Real To Reel opens at Osterley Park on Saturday, July 21.
