After visiting Portsmouth Historic Dockyard I continued my holiday. On 13 September 2010 I visited Bateman’s, the home of Rudyard Kipling.

Brief information about Rudyard Kipling:

Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist. Rudyard Kipling was born in British India in 1865 and died in 1936. He is best known for his works of fiction The Jungle Book and Rudyard Kipling poems, including Mandalay, Gunga Din and If.

Rudyard Kipling received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 and is regarded as a major “innovator in the art of the short story”. Rudyard Kipling is the first English language writer to receive Nobel Prize for Literature, and to date he remains its youngest recipient.

Brief information about Bateman’s:

Bateman’s is located in Burwash, East Sussex. Rudyard Kipling lived in Bateman’s from 1902 to his death in 1936. Rudyard Kipling’s wife left the house to the National Trust on her death in 1939. That said Rudyard Kipling and his wife fell in love with Bateman’s at the first time they saw Bateman’s.

Bateman’s is a 17th-century house surrounded by the wooded landscape of the Sussex Weald. Six brick columns form a massive central chimneystack above the gabled facades. Today the rooms remain much as they were when the Kipling family lived there.

My personal experience:

The day I visited Bateman’s was not a weekend or a holiday, and the weather was not good, quite cold and cloudy. I thought there would be no visitors. However when I arrived Bateman’s parking and saw many cars I realised that I was wrong. Bateman’s parking is big and free. The reception, next to the parking, is quite small, and just has one staff. At the same time the reception is also a shop selling fruits grown in the garden of Bateman’s. After showing my National Trust membership card I started my visit to Bateman’s from the Orchard Garden.

1. The Orchard Garden

The Orchard Garden is situated at the rear part of Bateman’s and lies on the gently sloping side of the Dudwell valley. Accessing via the main visitor entrance I saw a large expanse of lawn interspersed with an array of fruit trees. They are relatively current but are within a much earlier structural framework provided by old brick walls accompanied by straight tarmac paths. Because it is in autumn you can see pears and apples on these trees. I was particularly impressive with the pear trees. To be honest it was my first time to see so many pear trees. At the bottom of the slope, in the eastern corner of the Orchard Garden is the Pear Alley, which was designed by Rudyard Kipling and has been retained as a centrepiece. Incidentally, adjacent to the orchard, fringing the northerly path is a long, wide border of herbs. At the north eastern end of the orchard is the kitchen garden that provided food and cut flower for Kipling family.

2. The Rolls Royce

Leaving the Orchard Garden I walked in a garage, where one Rolls Royce, Phantom I, is displayed. Kipling bought the car in 1928. That said Kipling was one of those pioneer motorists for whom a short drive in a ‘horseless carriage’ was an adventure. He owned a number of Lanchesters and Rolls-Royces. There is an information panel on the wall that lists the technological index of Phantom I. Because it’s a classical car so you can only see it through glass.

3. The House

Bateman’s is built of local sandstone, quarried from a site across the lane. The tiles are all baked from Wealden clay. My first impression of the house is peaceable and comfortable.

Walking in the short entrance I came in the Hall where visitors would be received. The 17th century panelling, the simple stone doorways and the plain moulded fireplace of this room were what first attracted Rudyard Kipling to Bateman’s. There is a mirror in gilt carved wood frame surmounted by a gilt eagle. The balls round the frame represent the number of states in the Union at that time.

At the Inner Hall there are Bronzed plaster reliefs that depicted Mowgli and other characters from Rudyard Kipling’s early books. Interestingly those reliefs were made by Kipling’s father, John Lockwood Kipling, who was a ceramics designer. I can see the Indian culture from these reliefs.

To the left side of the Inner Hall is the Parlour, where Rudyard Kipling would sit in front of the fire and talk with his guest or play word games after dinner. One staff kindly showed me a brass seal with swastika motif in a cupboard. Then I first time know the origin of the word ‘swastika’. Surprisingly it’s not originally from German. The name of Swastika comes from the Sanskrit and is derived from Svasti meaning well-being and prosperity. Rudyard Kipling was strongly influenced by Indian culture and had s swastika on the dust jackets of all his books until the rise of Nazism made this inappropriate. In the Parlour I also saw several portraits of Rudyard Kipling which I found very interesting. Until this point of my visit I had never seen an image of Kipling.

To the right side of the Inner Hall is Elsie’s sitting room that was used for Kipling’s children to have their lessons under the directions of a governess. When Elsie, his younger daughter, became sixteen it was made into her sitting room.

There is an exit to garden from the Inner Hall, and a staircase leading to the first floor. Stepping up I saw a portrait of Kipling on the stairs, which was painted by John Collier in 1900 shortly after losing his oldest daughter.

First I went into Kipling’s Study. This room was his principal work space. I was surprised to see how small it was. I always imagined a Nobel Literature Prize winner required much larger space in which to be creative. There I saw his book collection: the classics of English literature and 500 volumes of India; large selections on the Navy and the Empire; books on beekeeping, angling, rural England and rat catching, etc. There is a photographic portrait of Dr L. S. Jameson who was one of Kipling’s heroes and inspired his most famous poem, ‘If’. There is a portrait of Kipling’s wife, hanging above the fireplace. And in front of the fireplace there is a rug made from a wolverine skin.

Opposite to Kipling’s Study it is the West  Bedroom that was used by some distinguished visitors, one of which was Kipling’s cousin, the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. The West Bedroom is quite small, but offers magnificent views over the garden and estate. There is a portrait of Kipling painted by John Collier, wearing an Indian tunic during the period he was living in London. There is a portable wardrobe at a corner that was used for travel. One staff kindly pointed out the pearlware jug to me. The pearlware jug was painted in blue and gold leap by Kipling’s father; pear shaped body decorated with two portraits of Bacchus and male accompanist, in a horseshoe frame. After a shot chat with the staff I popped over to the Exhibition Room.

The highlight of Bateman’s is the Exhibition Room that once served as a bedroom for Rudyard Kipling and his wife. At the Exhibition Room there are many valuable items displayed. I would like to mention a few that particularly interested me. Nelson relic, a piece of HMS Victory’s Trafalgar bunting; The alphabet necklace from the story ‘How The Alphabet Was Made’ designed by Kipling to entertain his children and those of his friends; Kipling’s pictures from his childhood to adult; Last but definitely least, the certificate of Nobel Prize in Literature that was awarded to Rudyard Kipling “in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author”.

Aside the Exhibition Room there is a tiny room that probably was used as The Powder Closet. In 1660s it was fashionable for men to wear wigs. As the job of powdering them was extremely messy a room would be set aside for the purpose. People guess Rudyard Kipling used The Powder Closet as a dressing room. Now you can see characters from Kipling’s books.

Before I went downstairs I had a short visit to the Kipling bedroom. The room gathered the memories of their three children. Although Rudyard Kipling and his wife always put on a brave face in public, they didn’t recover from the deaths of two of their children and the grief never eased.

The downstairs Dinning Room was dominated by the English Cordoba leather wall hangings. The room was used to entertain many famous guests, such as President Clemenceau of France and Lawrence of Arabia. There is a fire screen made out of a piece of antique embroidery with the scenes from the life of the Hindu god Krishna. A oil painting is hanged above the fireplace. Surprisingly Kipling’s wife didn’t like it. However they couldn’t get it rid of as it was a gift from one of their friends. So the solution was when she sat at the room for meal she always gave her back to the painting.

That’s all what I saw at the house of Bateman’s. Then I left to the Garden.  

4. The Garden, The Wild Garden and The Meadow

The Garden is well designed with grass, trees and a pond. There is a site of Kipling’s old grass tennis court ,a number of Kipling’s pet graves. At my way to the Wild Garden I saw a stone that was originally marked Rudyard Kipling’s grave in Westminster Abbey and was later replaced by a larger tombstone in poets corner. 

The Wild Garden is situated at the southern end of the garden, extending south-westwards along the banks of the River Dudwell and the mill leat. There is a 18th working watermill at the end of the Wild Garden. The mill grinds corn most Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm. Unfortunately the day I visited Bateman’s was Monday so I didn’t see it. However walking around the mill and reading the information panel I finally figured out how the mill does the work. 

On leaving the mill I had a short stay at the bench of the Meadow. The Meadow has been used for farming for many years. In 1902 when Rudyard Kipling bought Bateman’s it came with 33 acres, but he bought more land as it became available. Today most of what you see to the north, west and east belongs to Bateman’s.

I also stopped at Bateman’s shop and bought a bookmark that has Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’ printed on it.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day out. One day I hope I can visit Bateman’s again, but only after I have read some of his works.

Extra information:

Bateman’s is owned by National Trust. Bateman’s prices are £7.45 for adults, £4.10 for children and £18.60 for family. If you’re a member of National Trust you can get free entrance. However Bateman’s is not open everyday. You can visit National Trust website for more details.

For more pictures please visit my blog: http://blossom-iwanttoseetheworld.blogspot.com

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