Country Estate That Inspired James Bond Novelist Is On The Market In New York

A New York country estate where former British intelligence officer-turned-author Ian Fleming wrote parts of his James Bond thrillers Diamonds Are Forever and Goldfinger is on the market for $2.95 million. 

On numerous occasions, Fleming was a long-term house guest at Black Hole Hollow Farm, a historic 440-acre farm on the New York-Vermont border. In the 1950s, the farm’s then-owner, Josephine Huntington Hartford Bryce, a philanthropist, sportswoman and musician who was heir to the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., used the estate as her summer home with her husband, John Felix Charles Ivar Bryce, a former British intelligence officer and close friend of Fleming. The couple entertained royalty and celebrities, including Princess Margaret and Jacqueline Kennedy. 

Nestled within a quiet valley, the farm is an idyllic landscape encompassing the White Creek, tiered ponds, open pastures and miles of wide private trails bordering a 5,000-acre forest preserve. At its center is an 18th-century farmhouse surrounded by picturesque English gardens. The Bond character was invented by Fleming in 1953, and legend has it that he may have been inspired to write about Agent 007 while staying at Black Hole Hollow Farm.

Equestrians will appreciate the estate’s four barns, riding arena, fenced paddocks and its prized location: 30 miles from Saratoga Race Course, home to America’s oldest thoroughbred race, the Travers Stakes.

The original colonial farmhouse was updated by noted country house architect Jerome Cerny. The 1770s-era main house spans 8,143 square feet with six bedrooms, elegant reception rooms with fireplaces, an office, dining room for large dinner parties and fully updated gourmet kitchen. Complementing the main house are four dwellings: the lodge and cottage, each with three bedrooms; the two-bedroom Federal House; and the Milk House, a one-bedroom home. Other amenities include a maple syrup production facility, a greenhouse with a koi pond, an outdoor swimming pool and three stocked ponds.

The listing agent is Story Jenks of LandVest, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate in Woodstock, Vermont.

The majestic property’s crowning glory, and likely where Fleming spent much of his time, is the greenhouse opening to a large garden room. Like being in a cultivated jungle, the spy-worthy setting features the relaxing sound of water trickling in a koi pond and paths winding through the greenery. 

Fleming often stayed in guest quarters known as the Yellow Room. He would take long treks among the hills and into the woods surrounding the estate, perhaps dreaming up new plots for Agent 007. In an old guest register, Fleming once wrote, “Lived here like a king — an uninvited one — in fragrant and luxurious solitude,” according to toptenrealestatedeals.com. 

Fleming’s first novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953 and was an instant success. He went on to write 13 other Bond books as well as two works of non-fiction and the children’s classic Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang. The books have sold over 60 million copies, according to the official website for Ian Fleming Publications, ianfleming.com.

Though Fleming died in 1964, Bond films continued to be big hits. For the first time in five years, a new James Bond film will hit the theaters April 10. Daniel Craig’s James Bond will end his five-movie run as the impeccably dressed secret agent with his next film, No Time to Die. 

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.