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The incredible £160mn UK mansion belonging to world's richest family and now abandoned
Feb 22, 2025
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A huge £161 million mansion once owned by the world's richest family now lies abandoned and in a state of disrepair.
Mentmore Towers, a Grade I listed country house in Buckinghamshire, was built in the 19th century for the Rothschild banking dynasty.
Once considered one of the greatest Victorian-era mansions, it housed an extraordinary collection of fine art and antiques.
But after changing hands multiple times, it has been left to rot, with urgent repairs needed to stop further deterioration.
The estate was originally commissioned by Baron Mayer de Rothschild, who enlisted architect Sir Joseph Paxton, best known for designing the Crystal Palace.
Inspired by Elizabethan and Jacobean styles, the mansion featured grand interiors modelled after Italian Renaissance palaces, along with drawing rooms decorated in the lavish French style of the 18th century.
And for decades, Mentmore Towers was a symbol of wealth and influence.
It was then inherited by Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery, and later became the home of her husband, Archibald Primrose, who served as the UK’s prime minister from 1894 to 1895.
During the Second World War, its halls stored some of Britain’s most treasured artworks, including the Gold State Coach and portraits from the National Portrait Gallery.
At its peak and with all the art in it, the mansion was valued at over £160 million.
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