The Clooneys add a posh new pad in Manhattan to their £140m property portfolio... because a £9m LA love nest, £23.5m English mansion and a £75m Italian idyll just weren't enough! 

  • George and Amal Clooney have just bought the latest addition to their burgeoning property empire 
  • Their new four-bedroom, high-rise home is worth an estimated and eyewatering £30 million 
  • It's a palatial building that only the very wealthiest will enter with a security guard on the door
  • The sprawling, 700ft-tall apartment block comes with a spa, swimming pool, library and, naturally, a cinema

By Clemmie Moodie For The Daily Mail

Published: 16:01 EST, 7 October 2016 | Updated: 20:01 EST, 7 October 2016

The glass-clad tower, set on one of New York's richest streets, is as imposing as it is exclusive. With a security guard on the door and apartments worth tens of millions within, it's a palatial building that only the very wealthiest will enter.

And it's here that George and Amal Clooney have just bought the latest addition to their burgeoning property empire, a four-bedroom, high-rise home worth an estimated eyewatering £30 million.

Although for Clooney, whose recent films include the appositely entitled Money Monster and who commands about £20 million per movie, this is not quite so eyewatering.

Burgeoning property empire: Amal Clooney with her movie star husband George now own a host of properties

Burgeoning property empire: Amal Clooney with her movie star husband George now own a host of properties

Despite Amal's grandstanding as a champion of the downtrodden in her work as a human rights lawyer, it's the latest evidence that she's also rather fond of the finer things in life.

The Clooneys' new home boasts walls polished to a diamond shine, a chef's kitchen with bronze counters, and floor-to-ceiling, UV-protected windows offering some of the best views in New York. Similar apartments in the block also have window-side baths that overlook Central Park, marble floors and enormous dining rooms.

Intriguingly, it is also only a stone's throw from the UN headquarters — ideal for Hollywood's most politically-minded couple. This is particularly helpful for Amal, who has enjoyed repeated stints working for the UN as well as Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General.

MANHATTAN PARADISE 

Where: Midtown New York.

Style: 6,700 sq ft of high-rise perfection, and every mod-con under one roof.

Bought for: Estimated £30 million.

Hollywood highlights: A 60ft pool, four bathrooms, a ballet barre — and a cocktail bar.

Neighbours: Park Avenue princesses and ambitious politicos looking to make their mark.

Fancy that: The couple bought the apartment off-plan.

Added extras: The building will have a commmunal, Michelin-starred restaurant. There will also be a cinema — how appropriate — and a yoga studio and Pilates room.

The sprawling, 700ft-tall apartment block designed by leading architects Aby Rosen and Foster and Partners, comes with a spa, swimming pool, library and, naturally, a cinema. It also boasts a state-of-the-art gym, yoga studio and Pilates room — ideal for helping Amal, 38, keep her honed physique in tip-top condition.

A friend said: 'George and Amal like the finer things in life, and this apartment wants for nothing. Another key attraction is its proximity to the UN. While Amal has done a lot of work with the organisation, clearly it will be handy if and when George decides to dip his toe into the world of politics. This is an exciting time for them both and they cannot wait to move in.'

The Clooneys' latest acquisition, which will not be completed until next spring, takes their property portfolio to four, at an estimated worth of £137.5 million. Not too shabby for a couple famed for their social conscience.

The off-plan purchase comes six months after George, 55, sold his beachfront Mexican residence for about £38 million. They also have homes in Sonning, Berkshire, Italy's Lake Como and Los Angeles, and have spent millions on improvements.

Having married at a star-studded ceremony in Venice, the Clooneys recently celebrated their second anniversary. Evidently still madly in love, Clooney seems to pander to his wife's every whim. After buying the English country estate in 2014, and spending up to £20 million on renovations, George was said to have told builders: 'What Amal wants, Amal gets!'

Here, we take a tour of the Clooney property empire . . .

CALIFORNIA RETREAT 

Where: Studio City, Los Angeles.

Style: 7,300 sq ft of colonial-style Californian elegance.

Bought for: £2.6 million in 1995 and now worth £9 million.

Neighbours: Think pop stars and C-list television ‘personalities’. Singers Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, and actress Teri Hatcher, to name but three . . .

Hollywood highlights: George has ploughed millions of dollars into re-doing his long-time residence and erstwhile bachelor pad. There’s now a wine cellar, alpine-style open log fire and a fully stocked bar. Oh, and a framed, signed photograph of Barack Obama taken during the height of the President’s tenure in office.

Fancy that: Ongoing renovations made over 20 years have left George on first-name terms with an ongoing stream of builders and renovators. By all accounts, he is now happy with the place.

Added extras: A 3D, surround-sound cinema, with reclining leather seats.

THAMESIDE TOWERS 

Where: Sonning, Berkshire.

Style: 17th-century, Grade II-listed mansion; 11,000 sq ft of refined English elegance.

Bought for: £7.5 million in 2014. Now worth £23.5 million after a serious refurbishment.

Hollywood highlights: Situated on a five-and-a-half-acre island on one of the most picturesque stretches of the Thames, the idyllic country manor comes complete with some less-than-traditional features, including a 12-seater private cinema, subterranean irrigation system, 60ft swimming pool with hot tub and pergola, and an astroturf tennis court. It also boasts a boathouse and £10,000 rowing boat.

Neighbours: It’s all very jolly hockey sticks here. PM Theresa May lives just round the corner.

Fancy that: In January, the place was hit by flooding after the Thames burst is banks. No lasting damage was done. Long-time local resident Uri Geller is moving on, but has left a bent spoon sculpture opposite the Clooneys’ mansion (without planning permission).

Added extras: At what must be a phenomenal cost, fully grown trees were transported to the site by lorry and planted around the perimeter, concealing the mansion from prying eyes.

LAKE COMO VILLA 

Where: The banks of Lake Como.

Style: Sprawling 18th-century Italian waterside villa.

Bought for: £4.8 million in 2002 and now worth a rather impressive £75 million.

Neighbours: Both Madonna and Sir Richard Branson have previously owned homes here.

Hollywood highlights: What doesn’t it have? Think: pool, spa, cinema complex, gym and panoramic views of the lake. Everyone from Brad and Angelina (pre-split) to George’s best pal, Matt Damon, have enjoyed a free holiday here.

Fancy that: Recently, the region’s mayor introduced a £370 fine for anyone coming within 100 metres of the Clooneys’ estate, in an effort to safeguard the couple’s privacy. Tourists were suitably outraged.

Added Extras: George apparently turned down a recent £80 million offer for the house. 

...AND THE ONE THEY SOLD 

Where: Los Cabos, Mexico.

Style: Architect-designed, open-plan beachfront villa.

Bought for: The plot of sand was bought for about £5 million and reportedly sold for £38 million six months ago.

Neighbours: Close friends Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber lived next door.

Hollywood highlights: Built from scratch, this pad is a Grand Designs dream; sprawling, cream interiors, elegant oak furnishings and masses of light.

Fancy that: The complex boasts a forest of dangling lanterns and a barbecue pit.

Added extras: A frangipani tree sprouting from the sitting room. As you do.

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