Historic Burghley House might be better known as one of England’s greatest Elizabethan houses, but for the latest blockbuster superhero movie, it’s also now ‘home’ to the caped crusader, Batman.
New Warner Bros release The Flash stars Ezra Miller in the title role as comic book hero Barry Allen, but also swooping into the superhero story is another DC Comics character, Batman – and Burghley plays a cinematic supporting role as his Wayne Manor mansion.
Film crews were at Burghley for four weeks in April and May 2021 transforming the 16th century house – designed and built by Queen Elizabeth I’s Lord High Treasurer, William Cecil – into the fictitious home of Batman.
While the winged superhero himself didn’t fly into Burghley, but added later in studio shots, leading actor Ezra Miller along with actress Sasha Calle, who plays Supergirl, were at the House to film scenes.
The spectacular skyline of the country house on the edge of the Lincolnshire stone town of Stamford, has already appeared in evocative shots for the movie trailer, and Burghley now seems set for more stardom after the film was released in UK cinemas last week (16 June).
While the story focusses on Allen – a scientist who achieves super speed after being struck by lightning – both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton return to their former roles as Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, who appears in multiple forms during the time-travelling plot.
Among features getting the Hollywood treatment are the distinctive roofline, with its forest of chimneys and towers, and the oak-panelled Great Hall, with its grand Tudor fireplace, where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert dined during their visit to the House in 1844.
Burghley’s suitably dramatic Hell Staircase, named after the dark visions of Hell painted on the ceiling above by Italian artist Antonio Verrio, and the West Front exterior of the building also feature in the movie – with the House magically transported through CGI wizardry to the middle of Gotham City, rather than the 2,000 acres of ancient parkland that surrounds it in reality.
A house 500 years in the making, Burghley is no stranger to movie stardom, thanks to its grand architecture and imposing location. Film fans can retrace the footsteps of Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Dame Judi Dench and Donald Sutherland who filmed scenes for 2005’s Pride & Prejudice big-screen adaption.
And among Burghley’s other supporting roles were in The Da Vinci Code (2006), as a stand-in for a grand French chateau along with some scenes set at Castel Gandolfo. In Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) it became royal astrological and scientific advisor John Dee’s house, while the Elizabethan gem also sparkled in The Crown, featuring as royal residences in two seasons of the Netflix series.
For more details on how to visit Burghley and to book online tickets, visit www.burghley.co.uk.
