[mass55th]

Families like this, many times can make deals with Britain's National Historic Trust for Preservation. They turn over the estate to the Trust, in return for being able to remain in the homes. They just have to agree to open the house for public events or house tours so many days a year. I would imagine there are high government fees if you sell the house on the market.

Inheritance taxes in the UK are horrible. That's why so many home owners have been forced use their homes to earn money in other ways than just for traditional farming. In the old days, heirs had to sell off art collections, furniture, parcels of land, etc., to pay the inheritance taxes.

In 20th century Britain, a lot of families who couldn't afford to live in the homes or pay the taxes on them, either had interiors salvaged for sale, then had the homes torn down, or took the roofs off of them so they wouldn't have to pay the taxes on them. You had to pay taxes on a home that was inhabitable. It is a shame that so many historic homes were lost during that time. That's one of the reasons the National Trust was organized, to save these homes for the British people.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Can’t remember the name off top, but there is a whole TV series about people that specialize in taking HUGE properties like this and making them into cash-cow venues while the owners can still live somewhere on site.

‘Bargain Mansions,’ maybe?

Very creative. And some of the owners are in TOTAL denial about their finances.

‘But we have ALWAYS lived in the Castle!’

Yeah, well, PRINCESS, the taxes are due and you ain’t got two sticks to rub together, LOL!

[vmpolesov]

huge... tracts of land