LEADERSHIP QUOTE OF THE DAY (19 May 2012): To manage a system effectively| you might focus on the interactions of the parts rather than their behaviour taken separately. - Russell L. Ackoff
MAN MADE
$200 Million Park Place Castle
An 18th century manor has been purchased by a Russian oligarch for a stunning £140 million, making the sale the most lucrative in the UK.
The sale of Park Place, near Henley-on-Thames at Oxfordshire, betters the previous record-holder for most expensive property which was held by a penthouse at One Hyde Park, Knightsbridge which went for £136 million.
The new owner is understood to have bought UK properties in the past. The Grade II-listed house, built in the Renaissance style, has at least ten bedrooms complete with en suite bathrooms, a helipad, spa complex, home cinema and bleeding-edge security system. and 30,000 sq ft of living space.
The grounds are said to be haunted by the ghost of Mary Blandy, who was accused of poisoning her father in 1752. Greek shipping magnate John Latsis is among the estate’s previous owners. In 2007 it was bought by a property developer, Mike Spink, for £42million.
Once the home of George II’s eldest son, it has been overhauled and updated with plush, modern riggings, and now boasts a helipad, spa complex, home cinema and bleeding-edge security system. Nestled in 200 sprawling acres of parkland and built in the Renaissance style, the home has ten bedrooms complete with en suite bathrooms, and 30,000 sq ft of living space.
Park Place was sold by agents Knight Frank and Savills. The estate agents were so surprised by the generous price, they rang up their country branch to verify if the decimal point was in the right place.