Wealthy Russian tech entrepreneur puts Batman-inspired mansion with secret ‘bat cave’ and pool that turns into a dancefloor on the market for £30million

A gadget-obsessed Russian dating app guru who transformed the basement of his London mansion into a Bruce Wayne-like ‘Batcave’ has put the house up for sale for almost £30 million.

Sergey Frolovichev, who made his fortune driving the growth of dating services Bumble and Badoo, has bought the house in Greenaway Gardens, Hampstead, for £13.35 million.

He has since spent an estimated £15 million and five years dismantling and rebuilding the high-tech vault in the style of the fictional billionaire and vigilante in his quest to create the ultimate ‘man cave’.

In DC Comics and the numerous film, TV and video game adaptations since, Batman constructs the Batcave as an underground bunker in the caves beneath his mansion to use as a covert base of operations for his crime-fighting alter ego.

Mr. Frolovichev was particularly inspired by the Batcave design in his favorite film, 2008’s The Dark Knight, in which Christian Bale dons the iconic hood to confront Heath Ledger’s Joker.

And it even has its own superhero-style secret entrance: a set of retractable floorboards that reveal a secret staircase in the mansion’s grand playroom.

Amazed guests will walk through a display-lined corridor to a workshop or studio space of the buyer’s choice, heavily inspired by the film’s set design.

This space would be perfect for a potential buyer to tinker with their next crime-fighting device or, more likely, tackle a challenging Powerpoint presentation.

The ‘Batcave’ is accessed via a series of stars beneath retractable floorboards (pictured: a model showing what the space might look like)

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman in 2008’s The Dark Knight – seen in the Batcave, which inspired the design of the secret basement in Hampstead

A cabinet-lined entrance hall leads to the ‘bat cave’; Ideal for displaying trophies, memorabilia or armored superhero costumes

Elsewhere, there’s a swimming pool that rises above the ground or can be drained and covered as a dance floor, as well as a car stacker.

The master bedroom spans the entire width of the mansion, with its own private rooftop terrace large enough for sun loungers; There are also two walk-in dressing rooms and a double en-suite bathroom.

A further five bedrooms, all en-suite, are spread over the first and second floors, as well as the staff studio/bedroom on the lower ground floor.

That’s before we even mention its six reception rooms, triple-height entrance hall, study, kitchen and adjoining pantry, media room, health spa, steam room and sauna.

If retractable floorboards aren’t enough, a passenger elevator will transport residents and guests to each floor.

The lower level terrace also provides access to the games room with cocktail bar.

In total, buyers can expect a full 14,501 square feet of interior space and 7,921 exterior terraces towards the rear, accessed via triple-glazed sliding doors.

There’s only one problem: you’ll have to finish the construction yourself.

Originally built in 1934 by architect Charles Henry Bourne Quennell, extensive work was done to bring the neo-Georgian house up to scratch.

But as of now it is ‘shell and core’: fully plumbed, wired and heated thanks to an energy-efficient ground source heating system, underfloor heating and MVHR ventilation.

Each system is controlled by almost four dozen control panels in an underground factory room that would rival a medium-sized office block in size and complexity.

Agent Draper London says the home is future-proofed. The designer even has his own well in his backyard.

But Mr Frolovichev, who has called the UK home for the past two decades, is bidding time on the rebuilding to allow someone else to come in to finish what he started.

The house is being sold by Russian tech entrepreneur Sergey Frolovichev (pictured), who literally designed the house

The lower ground floor of the house includes a games room that opens onto a large terrace (pictured)

If a set of floorboards isn’t enough, the swimming pool can be drained and turned into a dance floor

The house features six reception rooms and a triple-height entrance hall that lets guests know they are entering somewhere special.

A large reception room with triple-glazed doors opening onto the house’s designer gardens

A bar and cinema room downstairs – the ideal setting for late-night Batman marathons

He moved to the United Kingdom in 2005 with billionaire Andrey Andreev, his business partner at Bumble’s parent company, then called MagicLab.

The company was sold to the US asset management company Blackstone in 2019 for $ 3 billion.

However, he has since opened a permanent store in Italy with his wife and two children while he waits for the restorations to be completed. He now has no plans to return to England.

“We have a bigger house in Como and a smaller apartment in Milan,” Mr. Frolovichev told a national newspaper.

At £29.95m it’s not cheap. Buyers are also being told to factor in an additional £5-7 million over the asking price and a further 12 to 18 months for full fit-out, including developing the ‘Batcave’ to your own specifications.

But when it’s finished, this billionaire’s theater will be worth at least £40 million. Draper expects a like-minded tech entrepreneur to be among the potential interested parties.

The estate agent’s managing director, Craig Draper, said any buyer would have full access to the original plans and could approach SHH, the architects involved in the project, to get the job done. Or they can do it all themselves.

‘This sale presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create one of the best new homes in Hampstead,’ he said.