Inside 'creepy' abandoned millionaire's mansion 'frozen in time' after property tycoon owner disappeared overnight | The Sun
A PHOTOGRAPHER has shared new pictures inside an abandoned millionaire's mansion, left to rot after its property tycoon owner disappeared overnight.
The state of the once-grand eight-bedroom manor house near Kings Langley in Hertfordshire was first reported on back in 2020 after creepy pictures captured its faded glory.
It was later revealed by The Sun Online that the abandoned mansion was owned by a Greek property tycoon, Athanasios Tachmintzis.
His brother-in-law Gordon Meiklejohn said Mr Tachmintzis led such a mysterious life that he wasn't sure what he did for work – despite seeing wads of cash at his lavish home.
Tachmintzis, 72, reportedly enjoyed a millionaire’s lifestyle from his "property" investments which meant they never saw him going out to work, his family claimed.
Now, a photographer has taken new pictures showing the further sad decline of the house, which would once have been a dream mansion.
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The photographer, who runs the Facebook page Afraid Of The Dark Paranormal, told The Sun Online she visited the mansion a week ago with a pal.
"We were trying to be really quiet on entry," she said. "We didn't want to upset any locals. The grass and outside were very overgrown, and animals and wildlife had taken over the garden."
The photographer said that it was clear the house hadn't "been maintained In a very long time," and that they were able to enter through an open door
"It had a very strange feeling to it," she added. "The house looks like it's been tipped upside down either just careless vandals or someone looking for something.
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Although the house still seems "frozen in time," with toiletries in the bathroom and cooking utensils in the kitchen, it appears to have been trashed by vandals.
"The inside of the house has been spray painted and vandalised all the ornaments are smashed, and all items of furniture have also been ill-treated," she said.
Bizarrely, the photographer said that certain valuable items remain in one piece inside the house, such as a beautiful piano and a large TV.
Creepily, in one doorway, a black cocktail dress is still hanging, while rubbish has been strewn over the floors.
Upstairs we felt like we were being watched
Inside, she said the house had an unsettling feeling.
"Upstairs we felt like we were being watched, we were trying to be quiet and look at all the stuff whilst taking pictures," she said.
"Beautiful bookshelves had been left, some of them looked brand new. The rooms had completely been ransacked. And all the clothes were strewn on the floor."
She added: "A couple of wardrobes had clothes hanging. To be honest the house was creepy.
"There were no vehicles left on the grounds. But there were cameras on every corner of the house."
Among the items apparently left behind by vandals was a bong used for smoking cannabis, left on top of a roulette board.
Neighbours of Mr Tachmintzis were puzzled as to why he and his family had fled in such a hurry at the time.
When urban explorers first went into the house, they found designer clothes, a full dishwasher, and even a game of chess left unfinished.
A number of expensive cars including a rusted Bentley were left outside in the overgrown garden, although the photographer says they have since been removed or stolen.
At the time it was reported that the property tycoon had bought the house in 1999, living there for almost two decades with his wife and five children.
But in 2017, he left suddenly with his family, leaving the mansion 20 miles from central London to rot.
He was married to his wife, Sharon, who was born in north Wales, for 32 years before she tragically died of cancer in May 2004.
Mr Tachmintzis, known as Thanos, was reportedly so concerned about security at the expensive home that he once had guards on the gate and kept Dobermans for protection.
But when he fled the house, he doesn't appear to have made any preparations to protect his belongings.
One neighbour told MailOnline: "I ride my horse down the road every day and all of a sudden I realised around three years ago that the people there had just disappeared.
"I just thought at first that they had gone away somewhere and would then come back – but nobody did. It is most strange.
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"At first the gates were just shut and then a padlock and chain appeared on them. You could just see the grass getting longer and longer and growing around the cars.
"Nobody around here has a clue what happened to them and why they just upped and left. It is a real mystery."
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