The mansion is a Grade II-listed property (Picture: Steve Finn Photography)
The Russian government has a luxurious mansion in the heart of Sussex, but locals have become concerned with the building shrouded in mystery.
Since 1946, the Kremlin has owned the sprawling 50-room Seacox Heath, originally built in 1871 for a British statesman.
When locals drive between the small villages of Filmwell in East Sussex and Hawkhurst in Kent, many have no idea they’re passing a secret ‘Dacha’.
The 19th-century property was presented to the Soviet government by the English Lord Gushen after World War II as a gift to the Russians after they saved his son.
The four-storey mansion is a Grade II-listed building with large grounds and sprawling gardens.
Throughout the Cold War and into the post-Soviet era, the mansion was shrouded in secrecy – with the exception of a few newspaper articles about the mysterious property.
The Kremlin has owned the property since 1946, when it was gifted to them (Picture: EPA)
Seacox Heath was built in the late 19th century (Picture: University of St Andrews Libraries and Museums)
But recently locals have begun to question why the Russian government still has a property in the heart of England.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, some locals took matters into their own hands.
Pro-Ukrainian graffiti has been sprayed on the entrance of the mansion, along with Ukrainian flags being placed along the gate.
Rebecca De Saintonge is one of the angry locals who decorated the outside with blue and yellow Ukraine flags.
She said: ‘I decided it looked a bit bare. There’s space for lots more if you’re in the area.’
The gate of Seacox Heath was dotted with Ukrainian flags after the war broke out in 2022
It’s also alleged the sprawling mansion is used as a country residence for Russian Ambassador Andrey Kelin.
When the ambassador isn’t visiting, its maintained by an ‘elderly Russian couple’, but locals are becoming increasingly worried about the Russian ‘base’.
Florist Lindsay Barrow told Mail Online: ‘I have known about it for some time and if you look closely you can see multiple CCTV cameras and barbed wire surrounding the place.
‘I’ve also seen long, black Mercedes cars going in and out of the front gates and then we had the protests.
‘I do think it’s rather strange the Russian government has a building here in the heart of Kent.’
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Paul Beltoe said: ‘The war is shocking and I don’t like to think Putin and his cronies own a mansion just down the road.
‘I don’t think the Russians have any business having an embassy building here.’
In early 2022, there were rumours the property may be seized and given to Ukraine, but it seems that the mansion still belongs to the Kremlin.
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When locals drive between the small villages of Filmwell in East Sussex and Hawkhurst in Kent, many have no idea they’re passing a secret ‘Dacha’.Â
