Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to visit Kipling’s home

The royal couple arrive at 12.50pm when they will be greeted by children from Burwash Primary School. They will then tour the house and gardens, including Kipling’s study; the dining room where the couple entertained guests such as Stanley Baldwin and George Clemenceau (senior French representative at the Versailles Settlement) and the schoolroom where Their Royal Highnesses will view items from the Bateman’s archive including letters written by Jack, Kipling’s son, who was killed during World War I.

Rudyard Kipling was the author of ‘The Jungle Book’ and the poem ‘If’ (often voted the nation’s favourite.) He was a world-famous poet and writer who moved from Rottingdean to settle at Bateman’s in the heart of the Weald. Known as a very private man, he bought the house and land for his family and to provide him with much-needed sanctuary.

Surrounded by the wooded landscape of the Sussex Weald, the house was built in 1684 as the home of a Wealden ironmaster. The rooms, described by him as ‘untouched and unfaked’, remain much as he left them, with oriental rugs and artefacts reflecting his strong association with the East.

Bateman’s is very much a family home, but is impressive none the less. The gardens include a 17th century water mill, which is still used today to produce flour.