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For George Eaton, his country seat in Caledon has been both a bucolic family haven and the setting of a tense legal battle. Now the court case has been settled and the Eaton family is selling storied Hawkridge Farm with an asking price of $24-million.

"It's a magnificent home and there are not a lot of magnificent homes," says Elise Kalles of Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd. "You feel like it's a mirage."

Ms. Kalles is the Toronto-based doyenne of luxury real estate with world-wide connections.

She has co-listed the property with Jamie Gairdner of Gairdner & Associates in Erin, Ont., who is well-in with the Caledon equestrian set.

Ms. Kalles recently hosted an open house for a handful of agents who might have links to the right sort of clients. In order to discourage idle curiosity, Ms. Kalles asks potential buyers — as diplomatically as possible — to provide bank references before they get past the gatehouse and make their way up the curving drive.

"If they're qualified and they're interested, they don't mind," says Ms. Kalles of her screening process.

A recent tour of the estate revealed a property of 150 acres that will suit anyone who aspires to the life of an English baron: Think about ambling along four kilometres of walking trails, canoeing or fishing for trout on the spring-fed pond or shooting clay pigeons on the sporting course.

Hawkridge is named for the birds of prey that soar over the land. Fox and deer dart past from time to time.

"There are so few places in the world where you can have this," says Ms. Kalles, who adds that she's fielded many enquiries from overseas. "If you have the money, the lifestyle is incredible."

For the athletic, there's the choice of batting around some tennis balls before breakfast, swimming lengths in the indoor pool or working out in the gym.

For the social set, the formal gardens would make an elegant backdrop for the smoked salmon and strawberries of summer garden parties.

About 25 gallons of maple syrup per acre is tapped from trees on the estate each year. The family gives out the syrup as gifts.

The gentry would feel equally at home inside the 24,000 square foot mansion. Like an English hunting lodge, it's made to provide comfort and warmth with rich oak, nine fireplaces and over-stuffed furniture.

A baronial library and family room with barrel-vaulted ceiling and stained glass has windows on three sides overlooking the grounds.

"It's definitely a family house," says Ms. Kalles, who says the property looks like the type of European country manor handed down from generation to generation.

It's also a house that welcomes guests, who arrive to a two-storey grand entrance hall.

Among the bedrooms are three guest suites.

The sun-filled dining room occupies the best real estate overlooking the pond. Mahogany-trimmed windows extend across one wall and doors lead to a generous outdoor terrace.

There's a well-equipped kitchen made for cooking — not for show — and a sitting room made cozy with thick rugs and burnished antiques.

On the main floor, a powder room in hunter green is designated for the male guests and another with pink marble and chintz for the ladies.

Upstairs, the master suite has doors leading to a private terrace, his-and-hers dressing rooms and an ensuite bath clad in marble.

"People would dream of a dressing room like that," says Ms. Kalles of the walls of curtained closets that surround the room.

Downstairs, there's a large swimming pool surrounded by rough granite so that the deck does not become slippery. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide a view to the outside. A gym, sauna and spa area are located next to the pool.

For the country dog back from a day of chasing groundhogs and bounding through the woods, there's a washing station with a raised tub. Also accessible from the lower floor are the five-car garage and temperature-controlled wine room.

But the pastoral landscape of Hawkridge has seen strife in the past.

Mr. Eaton, the grandson of department store founder Timothy Eaton, became embroiled in a lawsuit with the designer of the house. Mr. Eaton had retained New York-based Thierry Despont in 1988 to build a Victorian-style manse.

By 2006, the case was before the courts. In court documents, Mr. Eaton alleged building code violations, lack of adequate insulation and structural deficits.

For his part, Mr. Despont denied the allegations and responded with counter-claims that the Eatons made design changes along the way and should have acted sooner to correct the problems.

Last month the lawsuit was settled and the case dismissed. None of the details of the settlement have been made public.

Over the years, the Eatons brought in new architects and spent lavishly to not only fix the problems but go way beyond to bring the house up to standards of the aristocracy.

"I don't think today people do this kind of detail," says Ms. Kalles of the revamped house.

Also on the estate are a guest house, chauffeur's apartment and the 4,500-square-foot gatehouse where the estate's manager currently lives.

Nearby, the Niagara Escarpment, Devil's Pulpit and Devil's Paintbrush golf courses, Caledon Ski Club and Oak Ridges Moraine offer nature and recreation.

The house and grounds might serve well as a corporate retreat, but Ms. Kalles concedes that she rather hopes that the new buyer will be someone who continues the tradition of enjoying country life surrounded by family.

"I hope it sells to someone who appreciates all this. I hope it's full of children and grandchildren."