31 October 2023 , 12:53
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A luxury 50-room palace in southern England has been revealed as a Russian embassy - and residents nearby were completely clueless.
Seacox Heath was originally built on the grounds near Hawkhurst in East Sussex and replaced by a mansion in 1871. It was presented to the then Soviet government by English peer Lord Goschen after the Second World War as a gift as Russian sailors saved his son during a battle. Now the mansion, hidden from view behind trees and bushes, is used as a rural bolt hole for Embassy diplomats and VIPs and many locals nearby have no idea.
For decades the giant property was ignored, however when word got out it was an extension of the Russian embassy in London, some locals sprayed pro-Ukrainian graffiti on the entrance.
Locals who live nearby are clueless as to what the home is (Google Streetview)Alex Linton, a 33-year-old IT contractor with a partner and two children, said "I live near Hawkhurst and this is news to me - I never guessed we had Russian Embassy staff living in our community. To be honest it's a real shock - with what's happening in Ukraine, it makes me angry to think we are making the Russians welcome here, right in the middle of Kent."
All that marks out the house, reached along a half-mile driveway, is a small black gated entrance with a bright red private sign and gold plated plaque reading Seacox Heath. Fellow resident, Eliza Hart, 23, added "I drive up and down that road so much, but had no idea what was there. I thought it was just houses along there but to hear what it actually is is quite a surprise. It's quite crazy really to think you can live somewhere for so long and not really know what or who is living in the same area."
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The house dates back to the 1730s when it was owned by an infamous gang of crooks (Courtesy of University of St Andrews Library)The house was originally built by the so-called Hawkhurst Gang of robbers and murderers when they ruled Kent in a reign of terror in the 18th century. The infamous mob, led by Arthur Gray was, dreaded by villagers and well-heeled families for its bloodthirsty and ruthless reputation. It spread terror across Kent and Sussex, and as far as Dorset, killing, robbing and smuggling from 1735 until 1749. Its leaders, Gray and Thomas Kingsmill, were executed in 1748 and 1749 when they lost a battle with the Goudhurst Militia.
Engineer Paul Hurst, from nearby Flimwell, added "I'd have said it was completely made up, but then I heard a rumour about it, so to find out it's true is a bit mental. It's hidden away pretty well with all the woodlands and no signs on the road, but I guess why would you signpost it? What's going on out there in Ukraine right now is disgraceful, so I hope whoever is going in and out of that embassy are doing whatever they can to help."
Another resident near Delmonden Lane, which is found a stone's throw away from the site, said: "I could faintly see the building, but had no idea what it was. I'll drive past the entrance every day and not have a clue what's there. It's a bit shocking, especially with what's going on, that it's so close to home.”