New Hope-area estate with ‘magical’ gardens hits market for $5 million
The gardens at Paxson Hill Farm were once open to the public but closed in 2024 after the owner's death.
The sprawling Paxson Hill Farm, with its extensive, protected gardens, goes on sale this week for $5 million in Solebury Township, Bucks County.
Located at 6764 Paxson Rd., with a New Hope mailing address, the farm spans about 31 acres. It features a 6,700-square-foot stone farmhouse dating to the 1830s but expanded with significant upgrades.
The estate of David R. McShane, who died in 2023 at age 82, owns the property. McShane operated McShane Enterprises, a business started by his father, according to his obituary.
He also served as president of Paxson Hill Farm, which he bought in 1997, according to county records, and where he built professionally designed gardens on a farm field.
The gardens were open to the public as Paxson Hill Farm Nursery and Gardens but closed in 2024 after McShane’s death.
“The gardens are exceptional,” said Nicholas Esser, managing partner at Addison Wolfe Real Estate. Overall, he calls the property “magical” for its gardens, buildings and location.
The property, which sprawls across four parcels, will be sold with conservation easements that protect it and the gardens from development.
Esser said the proceeds of the sale go will go to McShane’s foundation, which will then donate the money to different charities.
The farmhouse
He said the estate’s residential centerpiece is the “gracious” farmhouse built in 1830. It was expanded starting in 2000, according to property records.
It has four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and two half-baths. The gathering space features vaulted ceilings and an enclosed stone porch that overlooks ponds with panoramic views of the estate.
The house has a geothermal heating and cooling system.
Unlike many historic Bucks County farmhouses characterized by low ceilings and cramped spaces, Esser noted that the main Paxson house offers expansive, airy rooms, including a dining room that can seat 20, Esser said.
An addition features a large kitchen with a large island, and basement reinforced by steel structural beams.
The property includes three one-bedroom guest houses with their own kitchens and bathrooms. It also has a detached five-car garage, and a large greenhouse with heated radiant floors.
A large barn features horse stalls and a reinforced concrete main floor designed to accommodate vehicle parking.
The gardens
But Esser said a defining feature of the 30.6-acre property is its botanical gardens, which feature trails that wind through ponds, across bridges, and in view of sculptures.
The gardens were designed starting in 1997 by landscaper Bruce Gangawer, a friend of McShane.
“It really was organic,” Gangawer said of how the gardens evolved without a central theme.
Gangawer said the gardens, are distinct “rooms” that include a koi pond, a conifer garden filled with dwarf species, and a maze.
Aside from the gardens, the property also includes a private yard around the main house featuring reflection ponds and bocce ball court with cherry trees.
Esser said he envisions that a buyer could be someone who wants to create a family compound, an equestrian, or buyers from Philadelphia and New York seeking a quiet retreat.
“It’s such a special property,” Esser said. “We hope that somebody will fall in love with it because it’s so beautiful and unique. To recreate these gardens to the scale with the mature trees that are there now — I’m not sure you could do it now, not without writing a big check.”
