Just seven years ago, the opulent building was used as Wayne Manor in the 2012 Batman film The Dark Knight Rises. Now, the mansion stands empty.
With crumbling and graffitied walls, the only things that scuttle through the decaying hallways are the vermin and amateur ghost hunters. The Rainbow House has become a dark shell for ghosts. What happened there?
Matt Topham and Cassey Carrington were an ordinary couple from Staplewood, England. Although the couple was deeply and madly in love, nothing exciting ever really happened in their lives.
So when these two highschool sweethearts entered the Euro Lottery, they never imagined what twisted path they were walking down.
At just 23 years old, the young couple was only just finding their feet in life. Matt worked as a painter and decorator, and Cassey worked as a supervisor at her local supermarket.
The two were more than content with their lives in their one-bedroom apartment. Casey and Matt didn’t buy lottery tickets every week, but when they saw that the jackpot was sitting at $60 million, they decided to try their luck. And, unbelievably, they won!
In the beginning, Matt and Cassey were surprisingly modest and generous with their winnings. Their first priority was a simple wedding for themselves, then new cars. They moved out of their apartment and bought an average-sized home in the same neighborhood they were living in.
The young couple thought that all their problems had been solved. But they had no idea that this was the start of something truly unimaginable.
The Tophams went on a few holidays and lavished their friends with gifts. Most notably, they gave $1.7 million to one of their close friends to help him and his parents get out of debt.
At the time, a source told The Sun, “It’s a fantastic gesture and proves [that they] don’t intend to leave their friends behind.” Nevertheless, it wasn’t long before the couple decided to upgrade… and made a huge mistake.
The historic Rainbow House is situated on the grounds of Wollaton Hall in Nottingham. Known For its role in the 2012 Batman film The Dark Knight Rises, the house is accessed by Adams Hill, known locally as ‘Millionaires’ Row’, which runs parallel to the A52 Derby Road.
The mansion was everything Matt was looking for. For many people, this seven-bedroom mansion would be a dream come true. But for Matt and Cassey, it was only the start of a horrific nightmare.
Built in the 1930s, the Rainbow House mansion was an art deco heritage home. The young couple bought it for a cool $1.6 million.
“I have often painted these huge houses and wondered what it would be like to live in one,” Matt innocently explained to the Daily Mail. “Now I can find out.” But seven years later, the property has become notorious in the local area.
Although the mansion was all theirs, Matt and Cassey didn’t move in straight away. You see, they had big plans for the exquisite house. The total cost for this project would be just over $6 million.
But with still around $60 million in the bank, the Tophams barely batted an eyelid. The couple planned to demolish the existing house and build an 8-bedroom home on the land from scratch. But when the plans were released, they had all the locals raising their eyebrows.
Dubbed a “Teletubby-style” home by the media, the new design would largely be underground. Their eco-friendly vision included solar panels, as well as a swimming pool and a cinema.
They had goals of adding a second house to the property and building a 10-car garage. And, ironically, they named the home “Serenity”. However, none of this would come to pass.
Even though Matt and Cassey’s plans for the mansion were big and bold, they were confident they would be able to accomplish them.
After all, with millions of dollars in the bank, what could go wrong? Matt and Cassey soon got to work on their grand project, but their renovations soon came to an abrupt halt for a mysterious reason.
Matt and Cassey had it made. Not only did they purchase the mansion, but they also bought another home — specifically for their closest friends and family.
With so much money in their bank, it was strange that something caused them to completely abandon the project. Instead of an innovative new building appearing in its place, the Rainbow House stands empty and largely unchanged. What happened?
Just seven years ago, the famous mansion had the potential to become a dream home. Now, the crumbling and graffitied building stands empty — the stuff of nightmares and a blight on the neighborhood.
The sprawling estate is overgrown with whispering grass. The mansion stares vacantly from the hill with its windowless eyes. The house has become a hotspot for teenage rebels looking for a thrill, and the hellish mansion doesn’t disappoint.
Local residents claim that vandals regularly break into the property to smash things, set fires, and commit other crimes — despite it being boarded up with tall security fences that surround the entire property.
It wasn’t long before the derelict house became known as the ‘scariest place in Nottingham to have your photo taken’ — which, of course, only attracted more ghost hunters.
Neighbors are constantly complaining about the property. From the untidy and unkempt garden that “looks like a forest” to the offensive graffiti that covered the mansion’s exterior.
One told the Daily Mail, “The Tophams have shedloads of money and should be spending some to end this farce – or at least on security.”
“We have been told by the council that all the toilets have been smashed, leaving the drains open. That, in turn, attracted rats,” another neighbor explained in an interview.
“There is also an empty swimming pool, which is a real danger too. I’m surprised no one has been seriously hurt in there.” So, where were Matt and Cassey while all this was happening?
Just went Cassey and Matt thought life couldn’t get any better, Cassey found out she was pregnant! The two soon-to-be-parents finally felt like their family was complete.
While Cassey and Matt were having the times of their lives with their new fortune, the couple had completely neglected their dream mansion. They had no idea what state it was in.
When Cassey and Matt went back to the mansion to see what all the uproar was about, they were disgusted to see it in such a state. Toilets were smashed up, trash was scattered everywhere, and rats and other creatures were running wild.
Occult symbols were spraypainted on the walls, and the entire house was a death trap and a serious health and safety hazard. Neighbors were livid that Cassey and Matt had let it get this bad. But things were about to get even worse.
Bearing all this in mind, it’s perhaps surprising that the house hasn’t been demolished already. But even though planning approval had been granted, the plans were put on hold because the “Teletubby” house became too expensive to build.
As a result, no action was taken, and Rainbow House was allowed to fall into disrepair.
A resident of the area, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “They’re really lucky kids, with really bad taste.” “Not too much sense in it,” said another neighbor. “It almost seems like they dreamt it up and decided to do it without thinking.”
Another neighbor, who also asked not to be named said: “It is a bit of an eyesore though, it won’t be long until it starts crumbling down. It’s been there for years and nothing’s changed with it, so I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing happens for a good long while yet.”
The local council is well aware of the problem, though. Indeed, the U.K.’s ITV quoted a recent council report as stating, “The house has been the victim of anti-social behavior, vandalism, countless arson and nuisance fire attempts, and is now in a state where every opening has been blocked up… and secured by steel sheets.”
And what about the ghosts that are said to haunt the building?
Given the state that the property is in, the council is likely to consider a new application, so the Tophams have asked the police to file for demolishment of the house on their behalf.
That said, despite the couple apparently having plans to build a different house on the land, so far there has been no indication of what it might look like. And the only “ghosts” on the property are the ghosts of wasted opportunity.
