BATEMAN'S - Rudyard Kiplings Home

On a recent day out we managed to visit 3 National Trust venues and the lovely village of Burwash. The reason we could manage so much in one day is because we have visited all of these places before so we were going over familiar ground.

For this post we are visiting Bateman's, the home of Rudyard Kipling.

Rudyard Kipling described Bateman's, his family home from 1902 - 1936, as "a real home to settle down for keeps" . Built in 1634 of the local sandstone, this dignified home excuded the calm tranquility Kipling needed to write, and the gardens and surrounding countryside became the inspiration for much of his work.

Today the house is shown as it was in his time, filled with the traces and memories of his extraordinary life and work. His study overlooks the Dudwell Valley and it was here that he wrote 'Puck of Pook's Hill' and 'Rewards and Fairies'.

My own childhood memories of Kipling were through the Jungle Books which I Ioved and my favourite poem of his is "IF". This poem was voted Britain's favourite a couple of years back.

The House from the front lawn

followed by views from different angles

amongst the formal gardens

Kipling designed and built this pond after winning The Nobel Prize for literature

See the Oust House to the left

These were used as a free standing Kiln for drying Hops

This one has had a Dovecote placed on the top and it is now part of the Gift shop

The Orchard

Some views of the Wild Garden

The Gift shop

Kiplings 1928 Rolls Royce

There was a lot of reflection on the glass surround to get a good picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stood and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can walk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
by Rudyard Kipling

Kipling never got over the death of his son having got special permission for him to be accepted into the army (even though he had been rejected initially because of poor eyesight)

He was traumatised to learn of the death of his son while fighting in World War I

This was portrayed vividly in the recent film

My Boy Jack