Hamilton Palace
He has been in the process of constructing Hamilton Palace, near Uckfield in East Sussex since the 1980s. Construction of the neoclassical building began in 1985 and cost around £40 million up to 2006. The enormous edifice is intended to house his collection of art (currently stored in Switzerland) and also includes his mausoleum. Under English law, perpetual trusts are only allowed in the upkeep of monuments and graves. By using the Palace as a mausoleum, van Hoogstraten's trust would legally own the buildings and its fittings after his death. A large section of his wealth has been transferred into a Bermudian trust for the upkeep of historic monuments.
He was involved in a long-running feud with the Ramblers' Association and a legal battle with the local authority over a right of way that crosses the land around the mansion. In 1990 the paths were blocked with razor wire and discarded refrigerators.
Hamilton Palace is so named because of the property van Hoogstraten owns in the capital of Bermuda (Hamilton). With little on the project being constructed in recent years and substantial local opposition, the project is currently on hold after problems with contractors.
Read more about this topic: Nicholas Van Hoogstraten
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