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THE UNIQUE NATURAL BEAUTY of Conyers Farm makes it one of the great land assets of the Northeastern
United States. The farm includes over one thousand acres of rolling fields
and pristine woodlands, sylvan lakes and leafy trails. Remarkably enough,
this preserveis located in
Greenwich, Connecticut, only one hour from New York City.
The land is now being developed, as a community where up to sixty
families will live in secure, spacious surroundings on country estates.
The development is tailored to the requirements of those individuals who value the
privacy and way of life that can only be realized on a large lap holding.
Through a landowner's association, Conyers Farm intends to provide
private roads, riding paths and a wide range of sports amenities. A
full-time security system will be installed to provide comprehensive and
coordinated protection twenty-four hours a day. Deed covenants and
architectural controls will help to maintain and protect the character of
Conyers Farm as a secluded rural environment.
Conyers Farm affords the opportunity to live in the country and yet be a part of the New York metropolitan region. Such a prospect has not been available near New York for many years.
To begin your Conyers Farm real estate search, click here. For more information, questions or to schedule a showing, please feel free to contact me!
LOCATION
CONYERS FARM is located in Greenwich, Connecticut, one of the premier residential
communities of America.
Since the 1870s, the land in Greenwich and surrounding Fairfield County has been sought
for the development of large waterfront and "back country" estates. As a
result of this growth, there are numerous golf, tennis, and yacht clubs,
excellent restaurants and the full range of services that make an
outstanding residential town. In particular, the schools
in Greenwich, both public and private, are of exceptional quality. The
region is also a center for breeding, training, racing, and showing
horses. Jumping and dressage events, races, and high-goal polo matches draw participants and spectators from as far away as
Argentina and England. The town has an easy and direct access to New York City and its
international and regional airports. Yet, for over a century, Greenwich
has retained the spacious natural beauty and convenience of gracious
country living.
Now, open land for large estates is once again available in the town of
Greenwich. This opportunity is rare, as Conyers Farm is the last large
parcel of land remaining for development in Greenwich.
THE HISTORY OF CONYERS FARM
THE LAND THAT IS NOW CONYERS FARM was assembled in the early 1900s. He built a country residence patterned after an English manor, and over
a ten year period created a1500 acre self-sufficient estate known as
"Conyers Manor."
The manor house, built on the high ground, has a commanding view of Long
Island Sound as far as Manhattan. On the surrounding slopes are extensive
parks,
gardens and greenhouses, and the homes Converse commissioned for other
members of his family. Don Barber, a well-known New York architect of the
school of McKim, Mead & White designed the numerous buildings on Conyers Manor. The landscape was
planned and planted by Henry Wild, an English garden architect, who also
designed gardens for the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace and for
Isabella Stewart Gardner at her Brookline, Massachusetts's estate.
The farming operations were concentrated on two hundred acres of prime
agricultural land lying below the Manor house, between Upper and Lower
Cross Roads. Converse built a magnificent stone dairy barn and many other
farm buildings, which still stand today. He raised poultry, cows and pigs, and produced milk, butter and eggs stamped with the
distinctive CF mark. On the high ridges extending north from the barns and into
New York State were hundreds of acres of apple, pear and peach orchards.
The property also included large stands of woodlands and the Manor's own
stone quarries. In the center of the property Converse built the Manor's
water supply, Converse Lake-today a private, one hundred acre lake.
The Converse farm continued to operate into themed 19308 when Lewis
Rosenstiel, the founder of Stanley Distillers, purchased the property. The
present owner acquired the land from the R08enstiel estate in 1981. Since acquisition, he has started to clear the overgrown fields and
renovate many of the remaining buildings. Paddocks are being built, trees
planted and fields re-seeded. This historic property is being restored' to
Edmund Converse's vision-a sanctuary of working farms and country estates
standing proudly in
back country Greenwich.
THE PLAN FOR CONYERS FARM
CONYERS FARM is planned as a private residential community with a maximum of sixty
estates in Connecticut. These range in size from ten to twenty acres or
more. All estate owners will be members
of the Conyers Farm Association, which will provide a full range of
amenities and services including:
• a complete road system;
• five miles of riding trails; and
• security.
The estate owners will be protected by a set of
restrictive covenants designed to preserve the high quality of the estate
and its natural environment. The covenants are intended to establish
architectural controls, wildlife preserves and prevent small subdivisions
of properties and land speculation.
The Conyers Farm estate has over one thousand acres of land and water in
which there are four distinctive natural settings. The largest is the
manor land, the original site of Converse's manor house, gardens, barns and farm
buildings. The. Manor, a cohesive architectural composition of stone
buildings set amongst specimen plantings is
in the process of being restored to its former splendor. The woodlands are an established deer habitat. Mature stands of trees are interlaced
with ponds, streams and rocky outcrops. Thousands of small animals and
fish live in this preserve whose ecology will not be disrupted. The
lakefront is the heart of the property. Endless vistas stretch out from its
dramatic shoreline and a subtle montage of color and form are reft.ectedin
its deep waters. The high ridges, cleared centuries ago, are traditional New England farmland. Rolling hills and open space are delineated by the geometry fold
stonewalls and contrast with the secluded world flake and woodland.
The new community will have entrances directly off North Street, giving
residents convenient access to central Greenwich and Connecticut's parkway
system. From North Street most of the estates are reached along two
private roads, each of which is to have security gate.
The Southern Gate is the splendid Conyers Manor entrance. From here,
Conyers Farm Road follows the manor drive, winding past paddocks and lush
woodland. Some of the new estates in this area will include old buildings
and fields of the original Converse farm. Other estates are part of a one
hundred seventy acre wildlife preserve.
At the Northern Gate, opposite White Birch Farm, Hurlingham Drive enters
the property at the new Conyers Farm Polo Club. This road leads through
open farmland to the estates, which overlook the polo fields and those on
the shore of Converse Lake.
For residents who prefer a more independent estate, there are sixteen
properties, which may have driveways directly off town roads. Six of these
are along the edge of Converse Lake.
The manor land, woodland, farm, and lakefront provide four distinctive
alternatives for the estate owner. Yet, the estates themselves in their diversity are planned as friendly and compatible neighbors.
The special character of each property adds a unique element to the
tapestry of Conyers Farm.
THE CONYERS FARM RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS
THE PLAN FOR CONYERS FARM includes the Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions; a legal document recorded in the Greenwich land records, which
permanently establish the rules, which bind every owner of property in
Conyers Farm. Among these restrictions are safeguards enforceable by the
property owners and by the Town of Greenwich designed to protect the
environmental values and to preserve forever the open space quality of
this land.
The following, in summary form, is an outline of the key elements of The Conyers Farm
RestrictiveCovenants:
1. LARGE LOT REQUIREMENT The proposed subdivision will result in 60 residential lots, all between 10 and 20 acres and a farm of 148acres (Article VII, Section 20).
2. CONSERVATION EASEMENT AREAA 17 S acre preserve is established by easement designed to provide a wildlife
habitat and to provide watershed protection (Article VI, Section 20C).
3. WETLAND AREAS In addition to the areas defined by law as "wetlands,” buffer areas of at least 50 feet around all wetlands and, 100 feet around all lakes, ponds and streams are established by easement,
thereby increasing the protected areas (Article
VI, Section 21 A),
4. SEPTIC MAINTENANCE In order to safeguard our water supply, the Conyers Farm Association has the right to inspect and service all
septic systems on any property in which a wetlands located (Article VII,
Section
21c, D).
5. ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL
all properties within Conyers Farm are to be developed under the guidance
of an Architectural Control Committee. Protection of natural resources and
the prevention of unsightly conditions are some of the requirements, which
each property owner is to observe (Article VII, Section
1-19). '
6. USE LIMITATION
Residential and farming uses are specified for Conyers Farm. Permitted
uses of Converse Lake for residents of lakefront property include fishing,
boating (excluding power boats), ice-skating and swimming.
7. OBLIGATION TO BUILD
To encourage the development of Conyers Farm by persons who intend to make
it their home, the restrictions require every buyer of property to
complete the building of a home within a limited period of time (Article
X).
8. AMENITIES
The Conyers Farm Association is authorized to provide security; road
maintenance and landscaping of all common property and to construct and
maintain a bridle trail system (Article II). The owners intend to develop
this land into a cohesive community in which the Town,
as well as the Conyers Farm residents, will take great pride.
