Abandoned ‘haunted’ mansion larger than Buckingham Palace left to rot for over 20 years

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If you’ve ever driven over the East Sussex border along the A22, you may have caught a glimpse of a sprawling mansion property known as Hamilton Palace.

But the £40 million property near Uckfield is not the luxurious house You can imagine, as for over 20 years it has been left half finished, and to this day it is still covered in scaffolding with discarded building blocks and warning signs littering the grounds it stands on.

Hamilton Palace was once thought to be one of the most expensive private houses under construction in Britain. Still, nearly four decades after construction began in 1985, the mansion has never been finished.

The house – which has a longer façade than Buckingham palace – was designed for British billionaire and convicted criminal Nicholas van Hoogstraten, but after a falling out with his architect more than 20 years ago in 2000, work on the mansion stopped and the building has been in limbo ever since.

But the mystery of Hamilton Palace goes beyond its unfinished shell, as it has been dubbed “The Sussex Ghost House”, with some suggesting the property may be haunted.

However, curious adventurers can’t even get close to the mansion to take a look inside, as it is completely obscured by a wooded area and can only be seen through a front door to the property.

And even if you do find a way, you may not want to venture too far, as signs have been posted warning of “shooting in progress,”dogs running free” and closed circuit television in operation.

The derelict mansion has lain almost completely empty since work on the development halted more than three decades ago, but a reporter ventured inside in 2000 when it was said the property was two years away from completion.

That reporter revealed that the interior of the house featured a grand central staircase and reception hall, with elevators already installed and expensive stone balustrades and pillars.

They also said space had been allocated for a fountain and a roof garden, as well as an entire floor that would house the art collection of 78-year-old Nicholas van Hoogstraten.

But the owner was understood to have fallen out with architect Anthony Browne in 2000, halting any work on the mansion and leaving the building in a half-finished state for the past 23 years.

Residents were outraged that the large area was not used and also raised concerns about a public footpath running through it that Nicholas did not want used.

Six years ago, neighbors called for the property to be used for the homeless, but van Hoostraten, who is said to have changed his name to Nicholas Adolf von Hessen, called the idea “ridiculous.”

speaking to Mirror in 2016, van Hoostraten said that “most” people living on the streets were there “of their own free will or out of sheer laziness” and called them “one of the dirtiest burdens on the public purse today.”

He also stated that work was continuing on the grounds of Hamilton Palace.

Denying accusations that his ambitious mansion building project had stalled, the owner said: “Even the most idiotic of peasants could see from the photographs that we have been busy fixing up the palace grounds.”

“Hamilton Palace is far from ‘falling apart’ and was built to last at least 2,000 years. The scaffolding only remains as part of the ongoing routine maintenance such a property would require until completion.”

Van Hoogstraten, who was first jailed in 1968 for hiring thugs to throw a grenade at the home of a former business partner, is believed to spend most of his time in Zimbabwe.

His four eldest sons are reportedly looking after his former business empire, operating under the name Messina Investments, having taken control of van Hoogstraten’s £500m wealth.

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