BATEMANS - HOME OF RUDYARD KIPLING

July 5, 2014

I had the opportunity to visit Rudyard Kipling's house Bateman's in Burwash, Sussex. He moved into the  house in 1902, and lived there for over thirty years, until his death in 1936, rejoicing in its seclusion under the Sussex downs, and in the evidence all around of thousands of years of English history.

He wrote about his move :

.it was the heartbreaking Locomobile that brought us to the house called 'Bateman's', he wrote in Something of Myself. We had seen an advertisement of her, and we reached her down an enlarged rabbit-hole of a lane. At very first sight the Committee of Ways and Means [Mrs Kipling and himself] said 'That's her! The only She! Make an honest woman of her - quick!'. We entered and felt her Spirit - her Feng Shui - to be good. We went through every room and found no shadow of ancient regrets, stifled miseries, nor any menace though the 'new' end of her was three hundred years old...

If you want to read his biography the link is here.

When I arrived I was impressed by the beauty of this place and it looked so peaceful !



Before the entrance was a nice tea room, where I had a little lunch






and then I saw the house surrounded by this beautiful park with full of benches to sit and rest.





 

The entrance looked very cozy and welcoming. At the mantle piece a little fish was hanging  when he wanted people to stay the fish looked towards the lounges, when he wanted them to leave he turned the fish towards to door !




In each of the lounges was an open fire, but he also had central heating installed.







In his office a wall was covered with books and the waste paper basket was full !



Laying in front of the open fire was this "carpet" which I didn't like.



Just besides the staircase leading to the bedrooms his bust was standing



The bed in the bedroom seemed rather small to me, I wouldn't fit in it.


I couldn't take pictures of all the rooms I visited, because a flash was not allowed and sometimes there was not enough light. His son's room who was killed in the 1st world war still remained untouched with all his belongings.




Outside was the huge park, where you can wander around.

Then I discovered the mill.



The mill from outside, the water running over the huge wheel.



The Park Watermill, stands by the River Dudwell. The mill was part of Batemans before Kipling bought it, having been purchased by a previous owner of Batemans.

The mill is still running and I had the chance to see how the grain was  milled. The mill stone was enormous.It was interesting to watch. There was also a shop in the mill where you could buy the freshly ground flour.