£40,000 a week can buy you all mod cons... plus a punchbag
A vast Knightsbridge penthouse is being offered to tenants for £40,000 a week in what is thought to be the highest rent ever demanded in London.
The 10,000 sq ft apartment overlooking the Serpentine is on the sixth floor of Wellington Court, a block close to One Hyde Park where flats sell for up to £136 million.
Agents say the six-bedroom flat, dripping with "billionaire bling" features such as crocodile skin floors and ceiling plasma TV screens, is likely to appeal to "a Russian or Middle Eastern client".
It was refurbished a year ago by
Kingston-based interior designer Paul Davies,
Rents have been soaring at the top end of the central London property market as global instability, particularly in the Middle East, persuades many wealthy foreigners to secure a London bolt-hole. The return of the corporate let market has also forced up rents.
Nicole Bisson, lettings manager for Sotheby's International, said the Knightsbridge apartment was the most expensive rental she had come across. "We believe it will appeal to an international individual or family looking for a London base." If the tenant signs up for at least six months, the rent will be £25,000 a week.
The penthouse has five reception and entertaining rooms, two kitchens, six bedroom suites, a gym, hydrotherapy spa and treatment room, and six terraces and roof gardens.
The 360-degree views take in Hyde Park, the City, the West End and the Palace of Westminster. A private lift opens directly into a lobby with Art Deco detail in walnut and marble.
The dining room has black gloss ceilings and an Italian black-glass bar and can seat at least 14 people, while the kitchen has a backlit wall of Madagascan semi-precious stone, macassar ebony and black gloss units.
The formal reception area gives direct access to terraces and the master bedroom suite looks onto the park through floor to ceiling windows. It also has a pure silk carpet, a plasma TV in the ceiling and an adjacent steam room. The beds have headboards made of eel skin, crocodile and ostrich leather.
The gym has a red crocodile floor, with state-of-the-art Technogym and a red croc punch bag.
