New York estate where Ian Fleming wrote James Bond novels and lived life 'king size' is on sale for $2.95M
The home where British intelligence officer-turned-author Ian Fleming wrote parts of his James Bond thrillers is on the market — and it's gorgeous. There's a hefty price tag, as expected, and the house is up for grabs for $2.95M.
Black Hole Hollow Farm in the Saratoga Country Estate, located in the New York countryside, is where Fleming is said to have written parts of 'Diamonds Are Forever' (1956) and 'Goldfinger' (1959). At the time, Fleming was a long-term houseguest on numerous occasions at the estate. His guest quarters were famously called the Yellow Room. He was known to take long walks into the woods and the old register to the estate describes him living his life king-size. The serenity and solitude of the property were probably the reasons why he kept coming back.
The spectacular home is surrounded by 440 lush acres of trees, pasture and flower gardens. The home itself stands over sprawling 8,143 square feet that include eight bedrooms, seven baths, multiple fireplaces, formal and family rooms, an office, a large kitchen and a dining room for large dinner parties.
The property has a greenhouse and then opens up to a manicured roofed garden room. According to real estate website Top Ten Real Estate, the estate was once used as a summer home in Saratoga in the 1950s. At the time, Josephine Hartford Bryce, a philanthropist, sportswoman and musician, who was the granddaughter of George Huntington Hartford, the founder of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, owned it.
Her husband, John Felix Charles Ivar Bryce, was also a former British intelligence officer and a friend of Fleming. They loved their parties and the home has also hosted people like Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret and Jacqueline Kennedy.
If you're a lover of horses, fret not. The estate is said to have four barns along with a riding arena, fenced paddocks and is located quite close to Saratoga Race Course. The property also has a maple syrup production facility along with water bodies such as koi ponds, a creek and an outdoor swimming pool.
Black Hole Hollow Farm is located near Cambridge, New York and 30 miles to Saratoga.
The listing agent is Story Jenks of LandVest, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, Woodstock, Vermont.