Dark Knight Trilogy

31. St Pancras Chambers

Chicago, IL

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Anyone would derail after winding down the grand staircase of the St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel. Featured in one of the most popular scenes in Batman Begins, the historic staircase was used during The Batman's escape from the surrounding police force at Arkham Asylum. Originally built and operating as Midland Grand Hotel in 1873, the building was constructed as a frontispiece to the St. Pancras Railway Station, built five years previous. After it's utilities became too costly and difficult to accommodate a modernizing world, the hotel was shut down and the building was renamed St. Pancras Chambers and functioned as new railway offices. During the filming of Batman Begins the building was beginning renovations to become it's current title of The St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel. It's most prominent feature, George Gilbert Scott's staircase, is named Europe's grandest staircase. It's Victorian architectural style combined with high reaching Gothic windows adds a dreary, dark feel to the building's interior, emphasizing it's role as Arkham Asylum's interior.

The Batman called for "back up" after entrusting Rachel's care to Lt. Gordon and the stairwell is soon filled with thousands of bats, encircling and distracting the SWAT team already inside the building. Director Nolan explained that real bats were used for the close up shots and then multiplied using computer generated imagery to encompass the stairwell. Sharing his dread of bats with his adversaries, The Batman displayed his new found comfort with the symbolized animals by jumping through the whirl of bats and landing three stories down in the middle of the staircase.