RISMEDIA, September 29, 2010—(CBS MoneyWatch)—Shakespeare. The Beatles. The Queen, Prince William and Kate Middleton. Fish’n’chips served in a centuries-old London pub. England has a lot going for it and has just added to its international bragging rights: It is now home to the most expensive apartment (also known as a “flat”) in the world.
According to the Daily Mail, a flat recently sold for £140 million pounds, or roughly $216.2 million, and the buyer’s identity is unknown to the public.
The two-floor penthouse is located outside of London at One Hyde Park. The amenities include features you’d expect with a price tag that high: 24-hour room service from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (attached by tunnel) where celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal (start drooling now over his Michelin 3-star restaurant, the Fat Duck) will cater to every whim, a private wine-tasting facility, and security that would make James Bond jealous.
The unit is equipped with “bullet-proof windows, SAS-trained security guards, an air purifier to frustrate poison gas attacks and a panic room where owners can retreat in safety should they be targeted by kidnappers or robbers.”
Live in any of the 86 units in the pricey development and these are some of the perks that come with your multimillion dollar purchase:
-Heating from geothermal bore holes sunk 450 feet into the ground to “extract heat from the Earth’s crust.”
-A McLaren Formula One car showroom on the ground level.
-15 different types of imported stone from Turkey, Italy, France, Belgium, Egypt and more are used throughout the buildings.
-Eye-scanners in private elevators to prevent intruders.
-The average cost for the other units sold was just under £20 million. Sound like your dream home? Better move quickly: Two-thirds of the units have already been sold.
-Brothers Nick and Christian Candy bought the site—previously an office space—for £150 million in 2004, then developed it into these luxury flats.
-But their One Hyde Park Flat may not actually be the most expensive home in the world. According to the Mail Online, they also just sold the most expensive penthouse in Monaco. This is the Lily Safra penthouse that was reportedly sold for £200 million.
Ilyce Glink is a writer for The Daily Money on CBS MoneyWatch.com.
