This is Bishop's Avenue in London, which is said to be the most expensive wasteland in the world. ......

On Monday, a villa on Bishop's Avenue in London caught fire.

Subsequently, 40 firefighters quickly rushed to the scene, and a few hours later, the fire was controlled.

Although the fire was finally put out, firefighters at the scene said that the roof, first floor and bottom floor of the villa had been burned.

But fortunately, this house is unoccupied, and it seems to have been vacant for many years.

And this fire has caused many people to turn their attention to this famous, prominent but extremely mysterious place again.

One of the richest neighborhoods in London.

Bishop Avenue is known as "one of the most expensive streets in London" and enjoys a high reputation all over the world.

This road is located in hampstead, a wealthy area of London. On this short road, there are 66 houses.

These houses have different styles, most of them have big gardens, and each property covers an area of several acres to more than ten acres.

Although the number of houses is small, the prices of these houses are shocking enough. Their average price is about150 thousand pounds, and the price of some houses has reached tens of millions of pounds or more.

To afford such an expensive house, you must have very strong financial resources.

The residents living here are either rich or expensive. For example, super-rich Sultans Of Brunei owns at least one house here, as well as the royal families in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia.

There are also many celebrities, business tycoons and real estate tycoons, such as Halis Toprak, a Turkish entrepreneur, Richard Desmond, the owner of Channel5, Poju Zabludowicz of Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian steel giant, and Sir Billy Butlin, a British leisure tycoon.

For this reason, this street is also called Billionaire Street, and some people even compare it to Buckingham Palace, and say, "In the richest circle in the world, Bishop's Avenue is even more famous than Buckingham Palace. This is an important manifestation of status. If you live there, you don't need to explain to people how much money you have. "

The high price of Bishop Avenue can be traced back to a long time ago. ......

As early as the 1930 s, a group of millionaires emerged on Bishop's Avenue, which earned this street the title of "Millionaire Street". Hollywood star Gracie Fields and sugar giant William Lyle were early residents here.

After World War II, the overthrown Greek King King Constantine also bought real estate here.

1 In the late 1980s, the average house price on this road completely exceeded110,000. In contrast, data from the Land Registry of the United Kingdom show that the average house price in London in 1989 was only 59,000 pounds, which has not yet exceeded the 60,000-pound mark.

In 2006, the smallest house on Bishop's Avenue sold for 5 million pounds. That year, the house price in London just exceeded 260,000 pounds.

However, with the passage of time, there are fewer and fewer houses on Bishop's Avenue under10 million.

In 2008, the Toprak Mansion at 46A Bishop's Avenue was sold for nearly 50 million pounds, setting a record for the most expensive house in British history that year.

The building is owned by Turkish entrepreneur Halis Toprak and covers an area of 30,000 square feet. It is a Greek-style building with luxurious interior decoration, and now it is officially called the Royal Building.

Not far from 46A is Lakshmi Mittal's house. He used to be the fifth richest man in Britain. Lakshmi is the CEO of ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker.

His villa covers an area of 25,000 square feet and has 1 1 bedrooms. Lakshmi was bought at 1996 for 7 million pounds. In 2065,438+065,438+0, Lakshmi was sold to an unknown person for 36 million pounds.

It can be said that the price may not be affordable for ordinary people to wander around the houses on Bishop Avenue.

However, such an expensive residential area has another unexpected name-"the most expensive wasteland".

London's "most expensive wasteland"

Friends who may have been to Bishop's Avenue will be amazed at the luxury and grandeur of the local buildings, and they will feel that these buildings are even mixed with some houses that look very old and depressed.

This happens because many houses here have been idle for many years.

For example, the 46A mentioned above sold for 50 million pounds. It is said that toprak himself only lived in this mansion for two days, and most of the rest of the time was vacant.

Like 46A, No.53 is the largest, most secret and spectacular property on Bishop's Avenue, which has been uninhabited for many years.

No.53, sometimes called the "Twin Towers", was one of the 10 houses purchased by the Saudi royal family in 1989, costing 25 million pounds. However, it is reported that members of the Saudi royal family never came to this house again.

According to the Guardian's previous report, there may be 16 properties on Bishop's Avenue that have been unoccupied for decades, with an estimated total value of 350 million pounds. Now with the rising housing prices in London, the value of these houses has far exceeded the expectations at that time.

Although many plots on Bishop Avenue have been transformed into luxury apartments and offices, these idle houses seem to have been forgotten by time and become depressed.

20 19 documentary "beyond the point" took videos and photos of these idle houses, and the pictures were even more shocking ~

Some houses seem to feel the grandeur of the year from the appearance, but when you look closely, the wall paint has fallen off, and the yard is covered with dense weeds and even bushes, which obviously has been uninhabited for many years.

Some buildings are boarded up and no one is allowed to enter.

As moss and weeds began to grow, the once tall columns and outer walls had rotted and cracked.

Some houses are even more depressed, the furniture is worn out, and sundries are piled up everywhere ~

As time goes by, the ceilings and walls of some houses have fallen off, the stairs have collapsed, and weeds have even broken through the walls. Look carefully at the bodies of some small animals.

Not only the wall is crumbling, but also the doors and windows have been damaged in the wind and sun.

One of the mansions also has an empty moldy swimming pool with boards scattered on the ground.

This swimming pool is full of turbid water, which is probably caused by rain and water leakage.

These swimming pools are also in a messy state, and there is no shadow of the mansion of that year.

Because no one takes care of it, the gardens of some houses become overgrown and messy ~

Seeing these photos, people can't help asking, since they can't live, why do rich people have to spend so much money to buy these houses?

"Value for money" investment

For ordinary people, spending millions of pounds on an empty house may be puzzling, but for the rich and investors, this investment may be worth it.

Some experts also pointed out the "mystery", saying that the real value lies in the land rather than the buildings on the land.

First of all, there are only a handful of people in the world who can afford this luxury house, and many of them are not locals. They may have many properties all over the world, and there will be more than one residence. Therefore, not many people choose to live permanently.

Secondly, what many people buy here is not the house itself, but the reputation brought by the real estate, as well as the location and plot of the real estate.

Trevor Abrahmsohn, founder of Glentree, said:

"Bishop Avenue is a very attractive place for wealthy entrepreneurs and investors. Because it is a symbol of wealth.

At the same time, people can own an idyllic manor 65,438+05 minutes' drive from the center of London, because the largest plot here can reach 65,438+065,438+0 acres, which is quite a large area and may not be found in any other big city in the world.

In addition, the buyer will own a precious tree area, two golf courses, some of the best schools in the world, 75 acres of leisure land and a private and public airport. "

It can be said that in London, where the land resources to be developed are very limited, many rich people buy luxury houses here not really for living, but to "circle down" several golden plots and wait until there are suitable opportunities for development and reconstruction in the future.

Abrahmsohn also said that many houses on Bishop Avenue have been redeveloped. Although some houses are still abandoned, this is only part of the development process.

He explained: "Some of these uninhabited houses are seeking development or planning permission. During this period, these properties will inevitably become messy and abandoned."

However, Abrahmsohn also pointed out that the value of land is only one of the factors, and the most crucial thing is the city itself.

Abrahmsohn said: "London is the most desirable city for billionaires!"

He said: "With the development of London from a small town to a world economic and financial center, it has attracted the richest entrepreneurs from all over the world. London is one of the three most important diplomatic bases in the world, not because it is the largest political center, but because it is the most desirable. "

Abrahmsohn added: "Britain has exported a wide range of cultures and traditions. Many people are deeply influenced by English literature and English movies, and also want to have some connection with Britain. Buying a property is one of the most important ways. "

In fact, the attraction of London is obvious to all. Many organizations, including ResonanceConsultancy, Boston Consulting and Schroeder, rated London as the best city in the world.

Not only has its comprehensive strength been affirmed, but London has also won the first place in the world in the fields of education, immigration, employment and real estate investment.

Here, we also give a few examples casually:

London has been rated as the world's best international student city by QS Group for many years in a row, and many institutions including London Imperial College London and UCL of University College London rank among the top 50 in the world.

London was Henry & #183; Occupy. Partners has been rated as the first choice city for global business investment and immigration, and has performed well in ten factors such as lifestyle, taxation, education, infrastructure, medical care and immigration services.

London has been rated as the most popular destination for immigrants and work in the world by Boston for three years in a row. Among the more than 200,000 respondents, 18% want to work or live in London.

London was rated as the world's first wealth destination by knightFrank, which attracted the attention of many high-net-worth individuals and sold the largest number of super luxury houses in the world.

What's more, London was even rated as "the most beautiful city in the world". Because of its "beauty", it has caused countless discussions and support on many social platforms.

In short, London has many attractions, as Abrahmsohn said, "London is a very outstanding city with any facilities you want. In the post-epidemic era, you can enjoy everything in London without going anywhere. "