The Luxury Edition: Lush Landscapes
Three outstanding estates, all featured in the latest issue of The Luxury Edition, are notable for their lush landscaped grounds designed by the world’s preeminent landscape architects. A 15-acre Georgian-style estate in New York’s Hudson Valley is a 1929 landmark designed by illustrious country house architect Mott B. Schmidt. A private 80-acre estate in the exclusive Conyers Farm enclave of Greenwich, Connecticut, was built by Beaux-Arts architect Donn Barber. And in the heart of England’s South Downs, Southways is a grand 1920s manor house surrounded by 3.5 landscaped acres, re-imagined by Chelsea Flower Show gold medal–winning garden designer Philip Nash.
PASTURES GREEN
Conyers Farm Estate in Greenwich, Connecticut
Beyond an impressive entrance flanked by original stone pillars and a gatehouse, the landscape is green and expansive. Views gallop into the distance taking in tree-lined paddocks dotted with piebald and chestnut-brown horses.
Established in 1904 by New York-based Wall Street grandee Edmund C Converse as a city escape, Conyers Farm is utterly, uniquely bucolic.
Converted into an exclusive gated enclave in the 1980s – complete with spectacular polo grounds – this 1,468-acre community is the largest in Greenwich, Connecticut, with just 60 homes set amid conservation land. “You don’t see anything else like it around here,” says David Ogilvy of David Ogilvy & Associates, Inc., an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate. The community’s pastoral qualities ring particularly true for its one and only 80-acre estate. “Many of the homes here were wooden and the occupants were afraid of fires, so they had their own fire brigade,” Ogilvy explains.
The front door opens to the double-height center hall, setting the tone for the interior of the main house including a two-story library with full-height bay window, a large solarium with a glass ceiling, and a superb kitchen.
“This estate was then completely renovated by the noted architects Alan Wanzenberg and Alex Antonelli, with interior design by Parish-Hadley.” The result is a quintessentially American offering; indeed, the clean-lined style of Parish-Hadley was highly sought-after by such illustrious clients as the Astor and Rockefeller families.
French doors flood the home with light, while terraces enhance its connection with the great, green outdoors. Just steps from the home, one of the compound’s cottages has recently been remodeled; incorporating mahogany paneling and state-of-the-art communication systems, the two-story space makes a fabulous home office, or another quiet, relaxing retreat. Perched as it is on the crest of a plateau, this Conyers Farm estate boasts panoramic views stretching to the east, south, and west, and the unmistakable beauty of its one-of-a-kind setting is seen from every corner.
The prime property in the largest gated community of its kind in Greenwich, Connecticut, this Conyers Farm estate boasts immense, lush grounds, and established trees as far as the eye can see.
Photography by Don Freeman
GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND
Southways in Surrey, England
A fantasy among affluent Londoners during the 1920s was to own a house in completely unspoiled countryside, yet as near to the city as possible. And it was a dream realized by several banking families who were attracted to the area around White Lane, near Guildford, Surrey – thanks to its rural views over the rolling hills of southeast England’s South Downs – and proceeded to build impressive family homes there. Originally owned by the Baring banking family, Southways was one such property. Today the surrounding countryside is protected, and from the front of the house not a single building can be seen save for a rather romantic landmark – a church atop a hill, which twinkles at night when lit.
Built by the Baring banking family almost a century ago, Southways remains the ideal escape from the city, its sweeping views of the English countryside and seamless blend of old and new creating an alluring proposition – just an hour from London.
“The views are not at all contrived; they’re totally natural. All you see is green in every direction,” notes James Mackenzie of Strutt & Parker, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate. One reason the current owner, who works in Hong Kong, bought the property was for its proximity to Gatwick and Heathrow airports. What’s more, although hidden from view, the ancient English market town of Guildford and its restaurants and bars are within walking distance.
When the current owners bought Southways, it was split into two properties and gardens, which they chose to amalgamate. To help to unify it, they added a grand portico to the north-facing façade, but otherwise barely touched the exterior, whose style Mackenzie likens to that of Sir Edwin Lutyens’s Classical period, which the architect nicknamed “Wrenaissance” after Sir Christopher Wren. The home’s Classical aesthetic is accentuated by a south-facing, Italian-style loggia, its arches framing vistas of undulating woodland.
This house, built on 3.5 acres, is not only in superb condition but also perfectly positioned for those who love city dwelling and country life in equal measure.
Photography by Mel Yates
A FINE VINTAGE
Sleepy Hollow Road in Hudson Valley, New York
Close your eyes and it’s easy to imagine the glamorous parties once held here: silkbuttoned shoes tapping across the marble hallway, and early 1930s jazz serenading the dawn of a new decade. Designed circa 1929 by renowned US architect Mott B Schmidt, this Georgian-style house on Sleepy Hollow Road in the Hudson Valley is a timeless celebration of his work and will intrigue those who appreciate period architecture.
In the late 1920s, Schmidt had a pedigree of wealthy Wall Street clients and was a favorite of established American families such as the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts. Yet, despite his illustrious connections, Schmidt built houses that were well-crafted and accessible. Relying less on the battery of staff that were de rigueur in the late 19th century, they were instead designed as welcoming family homes.
“This is definitely a family home,” says David Turner of Houlihan Lawrence. “It’s private, it’s protected, it’s peaceful. It has a terrific entertaining area, a generous pool house, and an additional six acres with planning approval, so there’s great potential for adding further structures.”
“I’ve been in many of Schmidt’s houses and they’re terrific properties,” explains David Turner of Houlihan Lawrence, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate. “The house on Sleepy Hollow Road is typical of his ‘five-pillared’ design and has a quintessential English country-house feel. Schmidt understood how people really lived and that is equally relevant today.”
The woodland setting also means that outdoor pursuits are well catered for. Just a few minutes’ walk from the end of the drive is the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, with more than 1,400 acres of open space for hiking, running, horse-riding, and cross-country skiing. Some 180 species of birds have been recorded there and the 22-acre lake provides ample opportunities for anglers.
“The setting is exquisite,” says David Turner of Houlihan Lawrence. “Besides its architectural integrity and heritage, the way the estate is set up is spectacular. It has a unique combination of an original 1920s house, a magnificent view of the Hudson River, and a beautiful landscape.”
Despite its rural appeal, the property is just 40 minutes from New York City by train, a 30-minute drive from Westchester County Airport, and a few miles from Tarrytown, a former industrial town that’s currently enjoying a vibrant cultural renaissance.
Schmidt’s work has been described as “gifts of bricks and mortar that seem to get better and better with each passing day.” That’s never more true than within the welcoming walls of 842 Sleepy Hollow Road.
Thank you for reading. I hope you found this information useful.
Jeff Pittman, Realtor in Ladera Ranch – Orange County, California