Popular wedding venue forced to close toilets after bats make themselves at home

A colony of lesser horseshoe bats roosting in the toilets at Hestercombe Gardens
The bats are roosting upside down from rafters Credit: Hestercombe House and Gardens

A popular wedding venue in Taunton has had to close their ticket office toilets after a small colony of bats decided to move in.

Hestercombe House and Gardens, is a popular visitor attraction and wedding venue in Somerset.

But staff were stunned when a number of uninvited visitors arrived, making themselves at home in the toilets.

The lesser horseshoe bats were found on the morning of August 4 and were believed to have roosted overnight. 

Lesser Horseshoe Bats are one of the smallest bats in the UK Credit: Jemma Gillard, Hestercombe Gardens

The attraction has decided to leave the bats be until they are ready to move on themselves.

There are a a number of adult and juvenile bats in the colony.

Sharing pictures, taken with the help of experts, on their social media page staff at Hestercombe House and Gardens said: "A small colony of lesser horseshoe bats decided to take roost in our ticket office toilets.

"The brown coloured bats are the adults, and the grey coloured are the juveniles also known as pups. 

Lesser horseshoe bats often form maternity colonies in old buildings during the summer months Credit: Jemma Gillard, Hestercombe Gardens

"The photos were taken under supervision of licensed bat expert, the Somerset Bat Group, which is part of the Somerset Wildlife Trust and a partner group of the Bat Conservation Trust.

"The toilets will be closed until our little friends find their way back to the cosy lofts of our Visitor Centre."