Most of us can only dream of living in a mansion someday. So when we hear that one has been abandoned completely and left to rot, it is usually shrouded in mystery. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. What happened to cause these beautiful places to fall to ruin? Here at Home Addict, we’re going over some of the most fascinating stories about mansions, castles, and manor houses that were all abandoned by their owners for years on end.
30. Hamilton Palace is The 40 Million Pound Abandoned Mansion
This next abandoned mansion called Hamilton Palace in Kent, United Kingdom is so huge, it’s actually bigger than Buckingham Palace. A British multi-millionaire named Nicholas van Hoogstraten started building the home in 1985, but it was never finished. Hamilton Palace cost 40 million pounds to begin construction. This became the most expensive house built in Great Britain over the last century. Very few people have ever been inside the building. Van Hoogstraten made all of his money by being a real estate mogul. In the 1980’s, he owned over 2,000 properties, and sold 90% of them by the early 1990’s. This is how he could afford such a lavish home.
But this construction project was brought to a halt. Dealings with his business partner went south, so he paid a gang to kill him. He was caught, and convicted of manslaughter. His lawyer managed to appeal the decision and set him free, but he still paid civil damages to the victim’s family. Now, Hamilton Palace is in a state of suspended animation. Construction came to a halt. No one ever had the opportunity to move in, but people who visit the property say that it gives you such bad vibes, it must be haunted. Van Hoogstraten is still alive. He still pays landscapers to maintain the property, and keeps security on duty to make sure no one tries to break into the uninhabited mansion.