On the Market: French/Colonial Estate Outside New Hope

What do you get when you plunk a Main Line mansion in the middle of an ancient Bucks County farm? This.


house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house exterior front

402/404 Rockwood Path, New Hope, Pa. 18938 | Images via Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty

People move to Central Bucks County because they enjoy its rustic character, its historical richness, and its still-rural feel.

People move to the Main Line because they like either its collection of walkable suburban villages or its grand mansions. Or maybe both.

Whoever built this huge Norman/Colonial mixtape house for sale in Solebury Township in 2007 clearly wanted it all. Or rather, everything but the walkable suburban village. (The closest of those to this place is New Hope, about a three-mile drive away.)

Rockwood Farm may have started out as an actual farm, but today, the 50-acre expanse is a farm in name only. Instead, it’s a country estate consisting of 16 acres of open fields, 34 acres of woodlands, two major outbuildings and this one grand mansion, surrounded by nicely manicured grounds.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house guest house

Guest house

The outbuildings stand as living links to this estate’s past. One is a restored stone house dating to the early 19th century that serves as a four-bedroom guest house.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house original farmhouse

Garage (original farmhouse)

The other is the original farmhouse. This structure, which dates to 1739, now serves as an equipment barn and garage with parking for three cars.

It should go without saying that the main estate house and grounds are equipped for both elegant living and entertaining on a grand scale, but I’ll say it anyway.

As these photos should make clear, it has an abundance of those classic architectural details beloved of Main Line mansion-buyers. But it stops well short of Gladwyne-level excess.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house den

Den

Which doesn’t mean that either the architect (unknown) or the builder (Zaveta Construction) skimped in choice of materials or quality of construction.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house library

Library

Check out the library, for instance. It would look right at home in Villanova, in a house built a century before this one was.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house living room

Living room

The same goes for the living room, with its marble fireplace and chandelier that evokes the 19th century. (Many of the chandeliers in this chandelier-bedecked house for sale are imported, by the way.)

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house master bedroom

Master bedroom

Ditto the master bedroom, which features one of the fancier tray ceilings I’ve run across recently.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house master bathroom

Master bathroom

The master bathroom likewise evokes Gilded Age grandeur, only minus the gilding.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house dining room

Dining room

Nonetheless, this house for sale remains a work of its time, complete with many modern features.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house kitchen

Kitchen

The kitchen especially makes this clear. This room may look like something from days gone by, but its equipment is up to modern restaurant standards. You — or the chef you hire — will appreciate its commercial-grade range.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house bar

Bar

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house wine room

Wine room

Other amenities your guests will appreciate can be found in this mansion’s walkout basement. These include a 10-seat home theater, a full bar and a temperature-controlled wine room with storage for 1,000 bottles.

house for sale new hope rockwood farm estate house backyard aerial view

Aerial view of backyard

Beyond the basement lies a backyard pleasure palace consisting of a saltwater pool and spa with arbor. An outdoor terrace and living room overlook the pool.

And beyond this you will find a tennis court, a stocked fish pond and fruit tree orchards.

Because all this sits on a 50-acre estate, you won’t have to worry about disturbing your neighbors if you decide to throw a New Hope-style party. But even better, you don’t have many neighbors to worry about: this estate sits near the intersection of two small lanes that together have only one outlet onto a main road. You have only nine neighbors total on these two lanes, and woodlands surround every one of them.

So — maybe you really can have it all.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 5

BATHS: 6 full, 2 half

SQUARE FEET: 14,313

SALE PRICE: $6,475,000

OTHER STUFF: You and those nine neighbors actually live in a subdivision with a homeowners association. That means you and your neighbors are responsible for the upkeep of those two lanes and their rights of way. For this, you will be assessed an annual homeowners association fee of $1,000.

402/404 Rockwood Path, New Hope, Pa. 18938 [Linda Danese | Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty]