SOLD - Legendary 80-Acre Conyers Farm Estate with Marvelous Barn
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Curved stone gateposts and white wooden gates are at the entrance. The driveway winds gently through open meadows with only this property in evidence up to the high plateau where magnificent landscaping and English gardens surround the home complex. A broad circle is at the front entrance and lovely circular steps go to the classical front door bracketed by wide, leaded glass sidelights. Built in 1904, the house was recreated in 1982 by the noted architects Alan Wanzenberg and Alex Antonelli to seamlessly blend the old and the new. The fine hand of the noted firm Parish Hadley has done a superb interior design in impeccable, subtle taste from every angle. The front-to-back center hall rises two stories with french doors to a superb terrace of flagstone surrounded by grass borders, and the graceful stairway rises to an upstairs balcony. The step-down living room with a marble fireplace has three pairs of arched french doors on the eastern and western exposures to terraces, and there is a beamed ceiling which has a hidden, drop-down projection screen. The formal dining room has a marble fireplace and five south-facing windows. A glorious two-story library or family room is several steps down with an antique, carved wood mantelpiece over the fireplace, a two-story, full-height bay window, arched french doors to the south-facing terrace with the heated swimming pool and poolhouse with an exquisite flagstone terrace surrounding it in the distance. There is a major music system throughout the home and a private stairway to an upstairs landing study with a bay window to a covered porch. The butler's pantry has classical glass-fronted upper cabinetry and wooden countertops, and the main kitchen continues this theme with excellent working areas including professional equipment and wide-board floors, and the cheerful and sunny casual eating area has two exposures to a south-facing terrace. Adjoining this is the mudroom/laundry with four machines, a commercial refrigerator and a door which is perfect for access to the pool area plus there is a second powder room. There are two beautiful master suites, one on the main floor and one upstairs. Each has a fireplace with a lovely mantel, a dressing room and french doors to the outside (upstairs to a porch, main floor to a terrace) and a very subtle marble bathroom. There are six additional family bedrooms (two with fireplaces and balconies) and five bathrooms plus a wonderful staff wing with a fireplace in the cathedral ceiling sitting room and two large bedrooms with en suite bathrooms. In addition, there is an exercise room, a sauna, a steam shower, a lavatory, cedar closets and a wine cellar plus there is garaging for three cars. The guest houses are a particular asset, each being done in the same character as the main house and each having a flexible floorplan with a fireplace in the living room, a dining room, a kitchen and a varying number of bedrooms. The original Conyers Farm private fire department is a wonderful structure with six garages and attached to this is a guest cottage with a 20-foot high ceiling in the living room with fireplace, an eat-in kitchen, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The so called "ruins" is a fascinating structure, once an enormous barn of which only the stone portion survives giving the feel of a European walled town. One end of this is a charming studio with a fireplace in the kitchen/dining area, a studio living room with a loft bedroom and a bathroom with a stone shower stall - all with great character. The stable is one of the finest structures for horses in the area with 22 stalls, with roomy washing area under a skylight, two efficiency apartments for grooms, a superb tack room and a commercial laundry, and a delightful two-bedroom caretaker's cottage with a fireplace in the living room, all surrounded by bucolic white fenced paddocks.
In sum, this estate is unique in this entire region - 80 acres of the most beautiful high rolling land, with a house designed and decorated in impeccable, restrained taste, designed to feel inviting and be welcoming. It has its own private driveway or secondary access via the 24-hour gated security of Conyers Farm, and it is the one and only property to have all of this in this sought after, private association. For the best in Greenwich, please contact David Ogilvy & Associates 203-869-9866. |
