Given the current cost of living crisis, there aren’t many people who have a spare £30 million knocking around. But if you happen to find a sizeable sum such as that down the back of your sofa, firstly, sitting on it can’t have been that comfortable, and secondly, what on earth are you going to do with all that cash?
As a suggestion, how about splashing out on one of London’s most exclusive properties? In this article, we look through the keyhole of five luxury piles currently on the market. Where are they, how many square feet do you get for your wheelbarrows full of cash and — importantly — who are your neighbours?
1 Hanover Terrace, NW1 – £29 million
If you’re spending the best part of £30 million on a property, you ideally want it to be the first house on whichever prestigious street it’s located. For one thing, it just sounds better. And, in the case of a terraced house, it means that you’re likely to have one less neighbour sharing your walls.
Not that this is any old terraced house. Overlooking Regents Park and with views of its boating lake, this 6,730 sq. ft. luxury crib is a Grade I-listed building conceived by British architect John Nash, who just so happens to have designed Buckingham Palace. At the end of its back garden, it has its own mews house, which at 1,222 sq. ft. is bigger than most peoples’ dream home.
Were you to sign the cheque on this lavish pad, your neighbours would include artist Damien Hirst and the US Ambassador, who lives just inside the park.
Upper Phillimore Gardens, W8 – £29.95 million
Located in Kensington close to Holland Park, Phillimore Gardens is one of London’s priciest streets, with the average property price somewhere around £25 million. For just shy of £30 million, you could snag a 10-bedroom detached house that’s large enough to warrant having its own lift. Sadly, a bellboy isn’t included.
On the plus side, there’s a chance you might bump into a few famous faces when you’re out getting the morning paper; Sir Richard Branson, the Beckhams, Elton John, Robbie Williams and Simon Cowell all live in the area.
Heathfield House, N6 – £25 million
If you can scramble together another £6 million, you’d be able to afford this six-bedroom Hampstead hacienda that boasts its own tennis court, swimming pool and spa, as well as landscaped gardens that are almost as big as the neighbouring Heath.
St John’s Wood, NW8 – £110 million
Should your budget stretch to a handsome £110 million, you could snap up a 30,000 sq. ft. mansion in leafy St Johns’s Wood, where Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Moss and Ewan McGregor reside. Of course, if you’re throwing a nine-figure sum at a pile of bricks you don’t tend to use Zoopla or Rightmove like the majority of people, so there are a few unknowns about this property — the exact address for one. What we do know is that it has its own subterranean art gallery and one of the biggest private gardens in central London. So there’ll be plenty of space to organise a barbecue for your neighbours — and their entourages.
Knightsbridge, SW1 – £200 million
If you really want to splurge, how about this £200 million mansion owned by one of China’s top property developers? Boasting a floorspace of 62,000 sq. ft. the central London schloss takes up almost as much of Knightsbridge as Harrods, with 45 rooms, SEVERAL elevators and, of course, a swimming pool and health spa (because let’s face it, you’d feel shortchanged if it didn’t have one of those). Your neighbours would include Kylie Minogue, the Prime Minister of Qatar and the Candy brothers, who all live over at One Hyde Park. But given that you’ll spend most of the time getting lost inside your own gigantic home, you probably won’t see much of them.
Remember, if you need to free up money fast – maybe to fund a luxury property deal – we’re here to help. Almagrove has 30 years of experience in lending, pawnbroking, and private asset finance. Contact us to find out more.