Mansion bigger than Buckingham Palace still unfinished 40 years after construction began

dailyrecord.co.uk:

One of the biggest mansions in the UK, eclipsing even Buckingham Palace, still remains unfinished nearly 40 years after construction was first started.

Hamilton Palace in Kent, which was once described as 'the ghost of Sussex', is shrouded by trees and scaffolding. Drone pictures were released of the unfinished and, reportedly, 'mostly abandoned' project in 2020, and it appears there has still be no change.

Surrounded by acres of land and woodland, anybody walking around the perimeter is met with an abundance of hostile signs warning the public to stay away.

One local resident told The Mirror : "As far as I know nothing has changed. It's difficult to see what work has or hasn't been done as there are a number of threatening 'keep out' and 'private' signs dotted around the property." Owner Nicholas van Hoogstraten caused outrage in 1990 after blocking public paths around the estate with razor wire and mounds of discarded refrigerators.It was built to house the art collection of the property tycoon and the £40m construction also has its own mausoleum on the edge of a small lake.Work started on the huge mansion, although there hasn't appeared to be any progress since a member of the public last ventured inside in 2000.In 2016, nearby residents called for parts of the palace to be used to house the homeless, prompting its tycoon owner to say in a statement: "The 'homeless' - the majority of whom are so by their own volition or sheer laziness - are one of the filthiest burdens on the public purse today."The chance of my offering an opportunity for them to occupy Hamilton Palace is just ludicrous."It was reported by The Times that Mr van Hoogstraten also said that "even the most moronic of peasants would be able to see from