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“Conyers Farm is perfect for the polo playing businessman.” Geoffrey Kent

• 1015 acres in Greenwich, and 453 acres in New York. Includes 103-acre converse lake, a back-up water supply for the town
• Converse was recreating an earlier age in Britain, here in Greenwich (knights armor, etc.)
• Buildings on the estate included a $100,000 dairy barn, a $25,000 hennery, a $10,000 piggery and the showpiece of the property, a $300,000 fieldstone English manor house. (4 stories, 52 rooms, view to the sound)
• Manor house included a reception area for 200 guests, walls covered with Moroccan leather, a white marble floor, and a bowling alley
• Self sufficient farm included 6 acres of asparagus, 10 of corn, 50 rye and oats, 500 hay, 10 of fruit, and 110 of fruit trees- great benefit to the community, yields enough for an army
• 1936 Rosenstiel owned land and tried to downsize 83 acres from 4 acre to ½ acre to make smaller lots available

Memories of Growing Up on Conyers Manor Farm William Brooks Drew

• “The most striking feature of the farm when one entered was the imposing house of many rooms, made of natural granite, with a pool in front, gardens, large greenhouse area...”
• Father had particular interest in horticulture; pear, peach, and apple orchards were extensive
• To handle marketing of the fruit, there was a cold storage not far from North Street which was used to sell fruit. Several tons of ice were harvested each year from the big lake on the property. Each day the ice was chopped up with rock salt to refrigerate the room
• Barns- 12-15 teams of Percheron horses, (principal locomotion for farm work was by draft animals), Guernsey cows, large chicken ranges (White Leg Orange and Rhode Island Reds)
• Milk was especially rich because it came from Guernsey cattle
• Converse Lake extends into Westchester Country NY, has some of the most excellent Bass fishing
• Pump house with a large Fairbanks-Morris engine pumped water from the big lake to various water towers
• Blacksmith shop, service garage, and fire engine
• A regular service delivery was provided for various items, as well as garbage pick-up and delivery
• A one room school was built over the top of the poultry headquarters. A teacher was hired by the superintendent but paid for by the farm (Greenwich was 6-8 miles away and schools in Banksville were not particularly good)
• Influenza of 1918
• Drew and his brothers collected chestnuts and sold them for $5 a bushel in the market in Greenwich
• Great deal of vandalism occurred after a man from NY named Mr. Sansome purchased the farm in 1927 and could not maintain the property

• The private association comes with 24-hour security, polo grounds—and plenty of peace and quiet. There are only 60 private properties...
• The exclusive neighborhood has attracted celebrities along with the uber-wealthy. Ron Howard and Mel Gibson are among its elite residents.