What happened to England's abandoned mansions?

While most mansions fell into disrepair after decades of use, Woodchester Mansion was never actually finished. Work began in the 1850s but construction was abandoned in 1873. 

According to rumour, a French plasterer was bludgeoned to death in the kitchen and his spirit scared the tradesmen off the site. However, the more likely explanation for its abandonment is that the owner, William Leigh, ran out of money after taking out a £10,000 mortgage, according to the estate manager Hannah McCanlis.

Andrew Fryer lived and worked in the mansion as a caretaker from 1994 until 2011. For the first 10 years he lived in one room on the ground floor with a Saniflo toilet.