Hi, and welcome to our video from Bateman's the former home of Rudyard Kipling
set in the beautiful East Sussex countryside
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and as I said Bateman's is in the southeast of the UK
in the beautiful county of East Sussex, in fact, it sits in the Sussex Weald
Its nearest mainland railway station is Etchingham which is just over three miles away
and the visit to Bateman's includes a look around the house, the gardens and possibly a look at the water mill
so without further ado let's take a look at Rudyard Kipling's home Bateman's
and after a short walk down the hill, you arrive at the Mulberry Tea Room
it's a little early for us to stop I think
and now time for a little more about Rudyard Kipling
born in India in 1865 he spent his formative years there which obviously inspired him
having written the Jungle Books and 'The Man Who Would Be King'
and poems such as Mandalay, Gunga Din, and of course "If-"
he bought Bateman's in 1902 and called it home until he passed away in 1936
and his wife Caroline left Bateman's to the National Trust in 1939 when she passed away
And what the National Trust have done, has retained the character of the building
as it was when Rudyard Kipling left it
So now, let's take a look inside
You can imagine this little lobby was where you take off your muddy boots before you enter the main entrance hall
although Rudyard Kipling wintered in South Africa
but someone's had a fire or two
The stone above the main entrance says this was built in 1634
but there's feelings there may have been a dwelling here long before that
the dining room may be small but it's impressive
with its 18th-century Córdoba leather wall hangings depicting foliage and birds
bringing the outside - in
and it does have a rather warm homely feel about it
and each of the rooms are how you would expect to find them in the mid-1930s
and as you expect from National Trust properties there's a real attention to detail
And at the foot of the stairs a bust to Rudyard Kipling
and we head up enjoying the decor as we go
once you've reached the top of the stairs you find Rudyard Kipling's study
styled, as you would expect to be, in his day
I love the bin full of scrumpled outtakes
and the shelves are packed with books from his travels
and the next room is the exhibition room
with loads of little details from his life and works and here you'll find a first edition of "If-", his famous poem
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 stoop 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 talk 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!
I bet you wasn't expecting that
and now let's head towards the water mill
and as we walk along the banks of the River Dudwell
we pass a plaque, commemorating the loss of nine men
in the First World War at the Battle of Loos
including Rudyard's own son, John
and at the end of the path, you come to Park Mill
which has recently been restored and well worth a look around
and now time to stroll back from the mill
towards the house, once again passing through the gardens
And you can understand why Rudyard Kipling fell in love with this building
constructed out of local sandstone
and as you'd expect the house and gardens are beautifully kept by the National Trust
And Bateman's is renowned for them
so we've seen the Rose Garden and the Lily Pond
as well as the Quarterdeck and the Spring Borders
and we're now heading through the front garden making our way towards the Mulberry Garden
and a great way to enjoy the Mulberry Garden is of course to grab some refreshments at the Mulberry Tea Room
but we'll take a look at the boulders and this is how they look in mid-September
Stepping through the Mulberry Garden leads us towards the Orchard and the Vegetable Garden
and this is a good time to say thank you so much for watching
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Stay safe, stay well, and happy travels