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Nick Churton from the Houlihan Lawrence London office joins the hunt for the perfect rural home only a couple of hours drive from New York City.

The Property:    Lithgow Farm, 33 Lithgow Millbrook, New York

The Broker:        Houlihan Lawrence

The Agent:          John R. Friend

I have tried six times to start this blog. It should write itself – such is the subject matter. But it is hard sometimes to describe somewhere so profoundly personal.

Most homes reflect their owners. Pictures, objects, books, collectables, travel mementos and decorative taste in furniture and rugs all combine to mirror the curator.

Dating back to 1758, Lithgow Farm in Millbrook is a case in point. Le Corbusier described a house as a machine for living. Lithgow Farm is a canvas for living. The current owners have painted their canvas perfectly. It suits them. It suits me. It may well suit you. But the thing with Lithgow Farm is that it is such a good house that, once its beautiful and fascinating contents are gone, it will re-become a wonderful blank canvas for a new owner. As we say in the trade, the house has good bones.

And if you think the house is special, then take a walk in the garden. It will be a long walk. It is a large garden. Or take a four-wheel drive to the highest point on the 200 acre estate where the sensational views go on forever in any direction. There is also a lake with Pagoda Island, a wild swimming pool, woodland and landscaped areas and vistas. I could go on.

Millbrook is one of the finest places in the US to follow country pursuits such as hunting, shooting and fishing. The renowned Millbrook Hunt, established in the 1890s, is one of the premier hunts in North America. Horses, rather than people, set the pace hereabouts – and the pace can get pretty fast – in pursuit of quarry! Institutions are important in Millbrook – such as the nearby Tamarack Preserve, a hunting and fishing membership club – think Ralph Lauren-like clubhouse décor.

Believe me, if you are moving to Millbrook then Lithgow Farm, one of the most important and historic houses in the neighbourhood, and set in the heart of this welcoming community, is the place to be.