Black Hole Hollow Farm, Where Ian Fleming Penned “Diamonds Are Forever” and More, Offered For Sale

The allure of Black Hole Hollow Farm goes far beyond its pastoral beauty. For a time, it was the summer retreat and place of inspiration for Ian Fleming, the legendary British novelist and creator of Agent 007.

Then-owner Josephine Huntington Hartford Bryce, the A&P supermarket heiress, was a noted racehorse owner and used the farm as her base during the annual races at Saratoga. Her husband, Ivar Bryce, was a former British intelligence officer and close friend of Ian Fleming since their boyhood at Eton College. Fleming even named Bond's CIA agent friend, Felix Leiter, after Bryce's middle name. Ivar Bryce wrote in his 1974 autobiography, “You Only Live Once: Memories of Ivar Bryce and Ian Fleming,” that the farm “answered some atavistic call in his Scots soul. He used to tramp alone for hours among the hills, and come back relaxed and brooding on some embryo new plot.”

Black Hole Hollow Farm is being offered for $3.98 million by LandVest, with worldwide marketing provided by Christie’s International Real Estate.

Black Hole Hollow Farm’s illustrious guests included Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret and Jacqueline Kennedy. But it is Fleming who lingers as its presiding spirit. It was here that he created several Bond novels including “Diamonds Are Forever,” and “Goldfinger.” In “For Your Eyes Only,” Fleming made Black Hole Hollow Farm stand in as Echo Lake—the lair of the villain Von Hammerstein.

“The provenance of this exceptional real estate is storied and without parallel,” says Kathy Coumou, Executive Director, Northeast Region, Christie’s International Real Estate. “As demonstrated by the success of Christie’s James Bond sale, Ian Fleming’s debonair spy is enduring and inspired, in part, by the author’s time spent at this bucolic retreat in upstate New York.”

Set within a valley on the New York–Vermont state line, the historic 948-acre estate boasts a circa-1772 colonial farmhouse surrounded by English gardens and updated by noted country house architect Jerome Cerny. Encompassing 8,143 square feet, the fieldstone and clapboard residence comprises six bedrooms; reception rooms, all with fireplaces; and fully updated gourmet kitchen. Other superb amenities include a maple syrup production facility, a greenhouse with a koi pond, and outdoor swimming pool.

Equestrians will appreciate the estate’s four barns, riding arena, fenced paddocks, 33 miles of private trails, and its prized location: 30 miles from Saratoga Springs Race Course, home to America’s oldest thoroughbred race, the Travers Stakes.

Christie’s International Real Estate is an invitation-only affiliate network composed of the world’s most proven and qualified real estate specialists in the luxury residential sector. The company has offices in London, New York, Hong Kong, Moscow, Los Angeles, and Palm Beach, and approximately 135 global Affiliates with 32,000 real estate professionals in 45 countries. For additional information, please visit www.christiesrealestate.com.