Bateman's

History

The house was built in 1634 in the sandstone and timber style typical of the Sussex Weald. Kipling bought it in 1902 and spent the rest of his life there writing works including Puck of Pook's Hill and much of his poetry. His widow, Caroline Kipling, left the house to the National Trust on her death in 1939, along with its contents.

Architecture

Bateman's is a stone-built Jacobean house dating from 1634, constructed in the local Wealden style with mullioned windows and tall chimneys typical of the period.

Worth knowing

Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book and Just So Stories, lived at Bateman's from 1902 until his death in 1936, and his study remains largely as he left it, complete with his writing desk and personal effects.

Gardens & grounds

The gardens, including a rose garden and pond that Kipling designed himself, are laid out much as he left them, bordered by the River Dudwell.