London has been something of a building site for the best part of a decade as developers and businesses build and build and build. An increasing population, further centralisation of wealth and industry, has led to more and more buildings. They cannot get wider, so they must grow taller. What are the results of this race to the clouds? Many things — some good and some bad. There are records to be broken. Highest office. Highest restaurant. Highest axe-throwing bar.
The highest outdoor swimming pool is now in London Bridge, in case you were keeping tabs on that particular category. Swimming pools in this city can be something of a bone of contention. It wasn’t that long ago that the floating pool in the Nine Elms development got people very upset. The one at Shard Place in London Bridge thankfully is not suspended over the common man of the street, and is therefore not vulgar. Nobody wants to see you doing laps 100ft in the air while they are on their way to work.
So how high is the pool? That is the key question. It is on the roof of the building, which is 27 storeys high, so we estimate that it is some 290ft in the sky. The views, unsurprisingly given the height as well as the pool’s location in prime SE1, are sensational. Can the passing public see you swimming around? They cannot, because the pool does not have a glass bottom and is therefore private. Privacy equals elegance.
Elegance is a key theme of the Shard Place development. Designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, which created the neighbouring Shard, the building contains 176 apartments, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, all furnished by State of Craft and with sensational views.
Amenities include a private dining room (with a bookable private chef), a 15-seat cinema, wellness suite (I believe we used to call these gyms, but who knows) and a delightful south-facing terrace.
It is, of course, in a prime location. London Bridge and Borough Market are on the literal doorstep, and Jubilee and Northern line links can get you around the rest of London in a flash. I would personally just stay in the pool though, floating in blissful privacy, higher than anyone else.
Apartments at Shard Place are available to rent from £700 per week.
-
My piece of heaven: The Vale of Belvoir by Lady Violet MannersLady Violet Manners, who grew up in Belvoir Castle, shares her love of the area around her ancestral home.
-
Pirates, prophecy and painting: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 19, 2025From manatee flatulence to the first ATM, Wednesday's quiz asks the important questions.
-
A meticulously restored Scottish estate for sale, dripping with history, character and wildlifeThe Craigengillan Estate in Ayrshire sits in 2,850 acres above the valley of the River Doon.
-
Sir Michael Caine's former home on the Thames is a testament to idyllic living and good tasteAt Rectory Farm House, luxury and modern convenience blend seamlessly with rural England. Is this the house that Jaws 4 built?
-
How to stand out from the crowd in the most British of outfits — morning dressMorning dress has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century, but breaking with convention can be chic.
-
White sand beaches, smuggler's coves, teeming wildlife and a ruined castle in a Scottish island that's on the market for the first time in almost a centuryJust off the west coast of Scotland lies Shuna Island, a true playground of open spaces, natural beauty, wildlife, beaches and — yes — a castle. And it's looking for a new owner.
-
'One of the 10 most perfect houses in Britain' has come to the market at £9.5 millionPenny Churchill looks at the magical Maperton House.
-
17 outstanding homes for sale across Britain, from under £250k to £6.5 million, as seen in Country LifeSomething for every budget in this week's round up of homes across the country that have come to market via Country Life.
-
An utterly charming island home in Scotland with gardens so beautiful they made the cover of Country LifeAn Cala on the Isle of Seil has a fascinating history that is only enhanced by its amazing setting.
-
Soft tones and a sense of place: A Mayfair duplex that breaks the modern mouldA new designer-led residence at 60 Curzon in Mayfair reminds us that everything new doesn't necessarily have to look it.
