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October 9, 2013updated Dec 12, 2013

Most Expensive House in London

By Chris Boyle

buckingham palaceLondon – one of the most beautiful and expensive cities in the world – is known for its elegant lifestyle and grandeur.

The glitz and glamour of some of the most exclusive areas in London has made it famous for its stately homes, replete with lush gardens, pools, and other unique elements. Drawing buyers from all parts of the world, London boasts of an array of pricey homes, with asking prices rumored to be up to $100 million.

From the ancient Buckingham Palace, to the grand One Hyde Park penthouse, which could put the US President’s security to shame – every house has a glorious chronicle.

The famous Buckingham Palace draws visitors from around the world.  Not on the list of the houses that are up for sale, the palace is worth $1.56 billion, as estimated by Nationwide Building Society in 2012, and will probably take a revolution to be listed online!

Next on our list is Witanhurst building, the Grade II-listed building located in Highgate, North London. Although the estate came into existence way back in 1774, the five-storey building was built somewhere around 1920. Notably, this place was earlier known as Park Estate.

With 10 bedrooms, Franchuk Villa in Kensington is supposedly the largest house in London, according to media reports. It shot into limelight when a philanthropist, Ms Franchuk, purchased the house for a record high price in 2010. However, within less than two years, she sold it for a low price to Mike Spink who renovated the property and put it up for sale.

Toprak Mansion situated at Bishops Avenue is becoming the talk of the town for its resale price. Exclusively built in a Turkish style, it features a green copper roof, a glass lift and a beautiful double staircase.

A penthouse in One Hyde Park is grabbing the attention of real estate brokers with its record-breaking £140 million price tag. This is perhaps the only flat on par with individual buildings in the city and boasts rich interiors that include windows extending from the floor to the ceiling, a chain of spas, and squash courts.

A house that cannot be ignored when we talk of expensive houses is a home in Rutland Gate. With over 45 bedrooms and seven storeys, this building is officially not on the ‘for sale’ list. Anyone obsessed with greenery would love this place as 68 of its windows offer unrestricted views of the parks.

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We dig through the listings to uncover London’s priciest pads, and also bring you an inside account of what makes their prices tick!

Franchuk Villa

franchuk-villa1_Considered to be the largest building in London, Franchuk Villa has royal rooms with rich interiors and stunningly beautiful architecture.

The underground indoor swimming pool is what makes this building unique. In addition to a 20 foot tall ceiling, there’s a world-class gym, a movie theatre, a garage and a total of 21,000 square feet of living space.

Currently owned by Mike Spink, this villa got its name from its original buyer, Ms Franchuk (daughter of former Ukraine President), who bought it at a record-breaking price three years ago.

In fact, there was no indoor swimming pool when Mink purchased it from Franchuk. He, however, refurbished it according to his taste and added a few more facilities. The current price of this building is £10 million.

Knightsbridge home

48943_302532_IMG_00_0000Once home to Charles Digby Harrod, the man credited with transforming  ‘Harrods’ to what it is today in London, this house in Knightsbridge was most recently marketed for £17.5 million.

Built in 1822, it is also a good example of architectural splendor, as quoted by many prospective buyers.

However, it also has something else that makes it unique. Everything in this house is associated with number six, as in six bedrooms, six bathrooms, six conference halls and a lift that can accommodate six people.

Upon entering this home, one would be surprised to see a royal open hall that is set exactly in the middle of the house. The huge underground garage offers plenty of space for car lovers.

Hampstead mansion

hampstead mansion_Located in an area dubbed ‘Billionaires’ Row’, what makes this mansion different from other affluent houses is that it looks like an ancient western structure.

Studded with green grass across its open area in the front, it has a beautiful fountain beautifully etched in the middle of the garden.

The home is replete with hi-end technology while the chandelier in the open hall resembles a bunch of hanging flowers. The hall itself is like an atrium with five doors leading to different luxurious corridors. It takes at least 30 minutes to scout out the entire house.

The property has ten luxurious bathrooms, eight world-class bedroom suites, a giant library, a gym and games room as well as quarters for the maids. The mansion at Hampstead also boasts a home cinema, which offers a luxurious viewing experience.

The current price of this Hampstead mansion is £40 million.

Toprak Mansion

ToprakSold for £50 million, Toprak Mansion hogged the limelight for its impressive interiors.

Having a swimming pool in your home is a luxury but Toprak Mansion has something else that makes it even more unique: a glass bridge exactly in the middle of the pool, making it all the more appealing. The house’s value is enhanced with a beautiful double staircase, glass life, a spa and a helipad, in addition to a private theater.

When it hit the market, the price of this building was just £30 million. It, however, escalated and reached £50 million within two years.

Witanhurst

witanhurst-house-highgateRated as one of the best buildings in London by many realtors, Witanhurst is more of an ancient structure that has marked its name amongst national historic places.

Located on five acres of lush greenery in north London, Witanhurst has 65 rooms over three floors. A spacious drawing room, oak flooring, timber wall panels, gallery hallway, 25 elegant bedrooms, a royal staircase and a billiards room make this building precious.

If we look at the history, Witanhurst was built in 1920. The original estate, however, came into existence in 1774 and was named Parkfield. In 2004, it joined the English Heritage’s ‘Buildings at Risk’ List.

Witanhurst was sold in 2008 for an estimated £50 million.

Edwardian mansion

edwardian mansionA seven-storey building overlooking St James’ Park with a living space of around 33,000 square feet, this Edwardian mansion has a double height basement complex, which includes underground car parking and a grand swimming pool.

When the building was undergoing construction, experts predicted that it would be close to Buckingham Palace in terms of price.

The mansion was purchased as a shell without any rooms or staircases by the Middle Eastern royal family for £50 million a couple of years ago.

Later, it was planned to construct at least 250 rooms in the mansion. Today the house boasts modern facilities, including a home theatre, indoor sports gym and rich interiors.

Although the mansion has not yet come up for sale, it has an estimated price of £120 million.

Palace Green property

At a sale price of £110 million, this Palace Green property was once owned by the fifth richest person in the world – the steel baron Lakshmi Mittal.

It came into spotlight for its brilliant features, which include a room apparently made of silver, a dressing wing and a flower room. The master suite is expansive and occupies an entire first floor.

Built from Portland stone and redbrick, the property is located in Kensington and counts the Russian ambassador, the Saudi prince, and ambassadors of Japan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as neighbors.

According to the Financial Times, Mittal purchased the 13,000 square feet edifice for his son who never moved to the mansion.

Penthouse at One Hyde Park

one hyde parkOverlooking the beautiful Hyde Park, the duplex penthouse on the 11th floor of One Hyde Park is thought to have an asking price of £140 million, making it one of the most expensive houses on the market.

With a spectacular penthouse view over central London, the property boasts of private wine-tasting facility and an underground passage to a Heston Blumenthal restaurant.

But the high asking price also stems from the elite security measures a James Bond villain would be proud of with bulletproof windows and a unique ‘panic room’ to calm soothing nerves.

Spread over 25,000 square feet, the penthouse is adorned with luxury interiors, while the panic room offers a 180-degree view.

Further, the home has its own spas in addition to several squash courts, as well as access to 24-hour room service from a luxurious hotel located next door.

Rutland Gate mansion

rutland gate mansionLocated in central London, this mansion in Rutland Gate is a magnificent seven-storey building that resembles a palace.

With 45 rooms, the mansion is adorned with five-star facilities.

At 60,000 square feet, the living space of this building is almost the size of a football ground with a grand swimming pool, underground parking and elevators to boot.

The interiors of the mansion are even grander with gold-plated walls and bulletproof windows. Several realtors in London are of the opinion that this building is one of the rarest properties ever to come up for sale.

The Financial Times pegs the current cost of the mansion at £300 million, which is around 800 times more than the cost of any average building in the city.

Buckingham Palace

buckingham palaceWho hasn’t heard of Buckingham Palace? The official residence of every monarch since Queen Victoria in 1837, Buckingham Palace tops the list of the most expensive house in London, and is worth £935 million, as estimated by property and house prices website Zoopla.

The palace has 775 rooms, including 19 state rooms, 52 royal rooms, 188 staff bedrooms and 78 bathrooms, and over 700 windows and 1,500 doors.

The balcony has a special place in British history with the first recorded appearance in 1851. The palace also boasts of a 40-acre green landscape, including a tennis court, an artificial lake and a helicopter landing zone.

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