The world’s most expensive mansions on the market
Take a tour inside a $60m waterfront mega-mansion, a Gothic castle and a luxurious Thai penthouse.
Drummer’s Castle, $15.2m
A Victorian Gothic manor in the English countryside that was home to the late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts in the 1970s and ’80s has hit the market for £7.95 million ($15.21 million), Known as Foscombe House, the imposing castle-like mansion is in the village of Ashleworth, on the outskirts of Gloucester, about 120 miles northwest of London. Historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsne, in his 46-volume architectural guide, described the 1866 house as “an unspoilt Victorian fantasy in an unsurpassed situation commanding exquisite views in all directions”, according to Savills, which has listed the home.
It has a castellated tower, turrets and an ornately carved stone orangery. Watts bought the house in 1976 and lived there until 1983, and in true rocker style converted a coach house into a music studio during his tenure. The outbuilding is now a 2000-square-foot guesthouse. “The height and proportions of the rooms create the most wonderful flow of living space, and for such a substantial property there is a feeling of comfortable living and a warm environment further enhanced by the far-reaching outlook from all the principal rooms,” says Ed Sugden, director of Savills Country Department. The cherry on top is that guests will be able “to stay over in the coach house that was once the music studio of a Rolling Stone”.
The current owner has restored and refurbished the eight-bedroom property. There’s a sitting room with a pyramid stone fireplace; an ornate beamed ceiling and decorated stone corbels; a drawing room that overlooks the grounds; a chef’s kitchen; and a formal dining. The bedrooms have views across the countryside and at the top of the tower is a smoking room, with access to the roof terrace.
By Liz Lucking
Thai Tower Drama, $19.03m
A penthouse at a 34-storey tower in Bangkok has sold for 436 million Thai baht ($19.03 million), making it the country’s most expensive condo sale, according to the developer Scope Co. Listed in early October, the nearly 4700-square-foot residence at Scope Langsuan was listed for just one week before bagging a buyer.
Designed by the New York City-based architecture firm KPF, with interiors by designer Thomas Juul-Hansen, the tower is in Lumphini, “one of Bangkok’s most desirable and evolving neighbourhoods”, according to KPF.
The four-bedroom, five-bathroom penthouse offers an open layout with high ceilings and walls of glass. “The dynamic facade features delicate glass ‘creases’ and stainless steel fins that ripple across the building’s surface, imitating the dynamic visual rhythm of traditional multi-layered Thai roofs,” KPF says.
The design also allows for private balconies, and creates a “dramatic visual experience, not only for residents looking out to the city but also for external viewers. Scope Langsuan promotes the essential Thai attitude of hospitality and generosity, represented by the building’s openness and interior visibility.”
The residence also offers a kitchen by German brand Bulthaup, with appliances from Gaggeneau and Sub-Zero, including a wine fridge. There’s also a “sunset lounge” adjacent to the balcony. There is a private elevator and five parking spots in the building’s subterranean garage. Other amenities of the 133-unit building include an outdoor terrace, a children’s playroom and several common areas, plus a pool and fitness centre.
V.L. Hendrickson
Playground of the Rich, $60m
With 10 bedrooms and more than 20,000 square feet of interior space, this waterfront mega-mansion with a private beach dwarfs most of the nearby homes on the city’s man-made Palm Jumeirah island. It is on the market for AED 140 million (A$60 million).
“Most of the homes on Palm Jumeirah are between 7,000 and 10,000 square feet,” says listing agent Ghazal Navab of Christie’s International Real Estate Dubai. “This villa is massive.” It is on “one of the most private fronds of Palm Jumeirah”, she adds. “This frond only has about 10 villas, compared to other fronds that have more than 100.” It boasts unobstructed views of city landmarks, including Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa.
The villa was custom built by the owner and completed in 2022. “There is a very easy flow to the floorplan,” says Navab. It is being sold fully furnished, with designs and furniture by brands such as Versace,
Hermèsand
and
.
Architectural details include marble floors throughout, high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows that flood the spaces with natural light and a rooftop terrace with a hot tub, entertaining areas and sunset views. The open-plan living room is particularly large, with multiple seating areas and a dining area at one end. The open kitchen features metallic cabinets and a casual breakfast area.
Two ensuite bedrooms are on the ground floor, along with staff quarters. Amenities include a 17m beachfront pool, a private beach, a home theatre, a rooftop terrace with a hot tub and entertaining area, an elevator, a gym, an outdoor sunken seating area.
By Bill Cary
Country Privacy, $12.43m
A lavish home on one of the UK’s most exclusive private estates has hit the market for £6.5 million (A$12.43 million). Cullen House is within St. George’s Hill, on the outskirts of London in Surrey. The sought-after 900-acre estate is private, gated and has 24-hour security. As well as exclusivity, the estate also has a private golf course, and a separate tennis and squash club.
The property itself is gated too, and opens up onto the driveway with space for several cars as well as a three-car garage topped with a self-contained guest apartment, according to the listing with Savills, which brought the home to the market last month.
The four-storey mansion has been recently renovated and spans more than 7400 square feet. It opens into a reception hall with a grand sweeping staircase, and there’s a drawing room with doors leading out to the recently-built loggia and gardens, an adjoining formal dining room, and a kitchen and breakfast room.
Elsewhere in the home is a study, a family room, a music room, a gym, a wine cellar and seven bedrooms, including a primary bedroom suite with a balcony, dual dressing areas and a bathroom. “The interior design is second to none in this home and is the perfect combination of classic and contemporary – ideal for those wanting the feel of a country home while being within an easy commute of the city,” says James Phillips of Savills Weybridge office, who is handling the sale.
“For me, the outdoor kitchen is the real star of the show. It’s an ideal place to entertain all year round with its covered pizza oven and seating area that will serve friends and family whatever the weather. The large garden is also beautifully kept and would keep any green fingered residents busy.”
The grounds also include trees, a pond and an outdoor pool. “I expect that interest in this home will be wide ranging, from both domestic and international families wanting to upsize into a larger home to those wanting to put down roots outside of London,” Phillips adds.
By Liz Lucking
Pick of Palm Island, $43.3m
An oceanfront penthouse in Honolulu recently sold for $US27.5 million ($43.3 million) in a private deal. It’s the most expensive residential property ever sold in the city, according to the agents involved. On the eighth floor (the top level) of the Park Lane Ala. Moana, the 5668-square-foot residence listed with William Robillard of ChaneyBrooks Choice Advisors offers “panoramic treetop views of Ala. Moana Beach park and Waikiki” and is connected to the world’s largest outdoor mall, the Ala. Moana Center.
The penthouse sold in an off-market deal and it was the first time one of the Park Lane penthouses was offered on the resale market since the project launched in 2016, according to Erik Hinshaw and Noel Pietsch Shaw of Hawai’i Life Real Estate Brokers, who represented the buyers. Hinshaw and Pietsch teamed up to help their clients, international high-net-worth buyers, find “the best” residence on the island, according to Hinshaw. “Initially our clients wanted a single-family home and we found several great off-market options for them,” he says. “But when they saw the view, size and location of the penthouse at Park Lane, along with the fabulous amenities, they knew it was the best of Honolulu.”
The penthouse boasts interior design by San Francisco designer David Oldroyd of ODADA, who was also behind the development’s common areas, including the main lobby, and its private lounges. It has an open layout, walls of glass and a neutral colour palette.
Indoor-outdoor living is a key part of the design of the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom residence, and there’s a 1188-square-foot lanai, or covered terrace. Community amenities include a club lounge with a fire pit, a movie theatre, a pool, concierge services and a dining lounge with a wet bar, plus a gated dog park. The property was last sold in 2017 for $22 million, according to records with PropertyShark.
By V.L. Hendrickson
Domaine de la Belle Étoile,
A lavish contemporary estate on the Cap d’Antibes in the French Riviera, one of the most affluent enclaves in the country, has hit the market with price on application. Known as Domaine de la Belle Étoile, the waterfront estate is nestled between the five-star Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc and the Port de l’Olivette.
The walled compound comprises a modern villa and two guesthouses, all with views of the surrounding Mediterranean Sea. “Adding to its allure is the fascinating history of the estate,” says Lars Christiaanse, group sales director at Caudwell, the property’s developer. “From the 1930s to the 1970s, it served as the prestigious tennis club of the renowned Le Provençal hotel.” Regular guests included the likes of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, he adds. Today, the restored former tennis club serves as one of the property’s guesthouses, “preserving the estate’s unique heritage and connection to its past”.
Now known as Villa Céleste, the two-bedroom guesthouse retains plenty of original features, and has a generous kitchen and living space. The other guesthouse, Villa Capella, was formerly a fishing cottage. It has been transformed into a one-bedroom villa with panoramas of the estate and the bay, as well as a private garden surrounded by fig and citrus trees.
The centre of the compound is the three-storey main villa, with a bespoke family kitchen, plenty of indoor/outdoor living spaces and six bedrooms. They include a primary suite measuring more than 1000 square feet, with two bathrooms, walk-in closets and a private terrace. Among the lifestyle and entertainment amenities are an outdoor pool, a gym, a home theatre, a games room, a yoga and pilates space, a treatment room, a salon, a sauna and an ice room. The French Riviera, or Côte d’Azur, was recently ranked as the world’s top second-home location, according to Savills.
By Liz Lucking
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