The Plans For Britain's Next Major Country House
Filed under: Estates
One ambitious developer, one crumbling mansion and the plans are set for England's next big megahouse. The Sunday Times reports that Mike Spink, a developer, has paid £42 million for the 570-acre Park Place estate on the river near Henley-on-Thames. Mike Spink plans to spend a few years and a few million pounds turning the home into a palace to tempt a Russian billionaire or other deep-pocketed person into spending anywhere from £60 million to £100 million. The property, which is in the village of Remenam, has has 30,000 sq ft of living space and spent four decades as a boarding school. The property includes a main house that dates back to the early 18th century, three large houses, ten rented cottages and another eight in need of repair, a boathouse, a stable block, two golf courses and a a four-story tower. It's an amazing property but Spink must be somewhat troubled by the specter of Updown Court, the massive mansion in Windlesham, Surrey that went on the market for £70 million in 2005 and is still waiting for a buyer.
