Live like Batman: Bruce Wayne’s manor could be yours for $32 million

Ever fancied playing at being Bruce Wayne for real? The original Wayne Manor from the 1960s Batman TV series has officially landed on the market, and if you happen to have a spare $32 million stuffed down the back of your sofa, it could be yours. Fair warning: you do have to bring your own Alfred.

The Real 'Wayne Manor'

Let’s clear up a bit of Hollywood magic first. Despite what you might’ve assumed, all those indoor scenes with Adam West and Burt Ward – the oversized Shakespeare bust, the grandfather clock hiding a Batcave switch – they were shot on soundstages. The actual Pasadena mansion, now up for sale, was purely the backdrop for Wayne Manor’s exterior shots. Still, that exterior is about as iconic as it gets if you're a fan of caped crusaders in questionable tights.

Stats and Style: Proper Supervillain Repellent

What’s on offer is much more than a TV facade: this is an 18,000 square foot, three-storey Jacobean Tudor Revival pile, originally built in 1928. Here’s what the lucky buyer gets:

• Seven bedrooms (presumably including at least one for your moody ward)
• Three full bathrooms, plus four half baths, and another four with three-quarters baths – ideal if you enjoy never being more than six steps from a loo
• Resort-style pool – no shark-repellent spray required
• A pickleball court (who knew Bruce Wayne was so on trend?)
• Private cinema, manicured gardens, mature oak trees, and lawns you could lose a Robin in
• Hardwood and marble floors throughout, which is handy if your Bat Boots are muddy after a night on the town

The estate itself sits on just under five acres, looking out over Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco, a wooded canyon which is about as close as southern California gets to Gotham’s spooky mist.

Not-So-Hidden Batcave

Before you grab your grappling gun, here’s the catch: there is no Batcave under this property, at least as far as the estate agents are letting on. Which, given LA’s building codes and general lack of supervillain activity, isn’t all that surprising.

Wayne Manor: The Many Faces of Bruce Wayne’s Gaff

Wayne Manor is one of those fictional houses that has changed with every new version of Batman. Early comic book Bruce Wayne was shown as a young bachelor buying his mansion outright; a bit later, the story shifted to make it an old family home, passed down the Wayne generation. Of course, it’s always been sat on top of the Batcave – the sort of zoning decision that would drive a city planner mad.

The aesthetics change too. Most comics and films give it a proper Gothic Revival vibe, to match Gotham’s perpetually gloomy mood. But on TV in the sixties, the house took on a more stately, sunny Californian look for exterior shots. Now, it’s a genuine piece of showbiz history, a direct line back to the high-camp glory days of Adam West and company.

"There’s no Batcave hidden beneath the property, at least none that’s been disclosed."