Bateman’s Manager, Gary Enstone, showed Greg around the former home of Rudyard Kipling which remains almost exactly as it was when he lived there until his death in 1936. The house, which is believed dates back to the 16th century, is well-looked after by the staff and team of 150 local volunteers who help with property maintenance as well as running the shop, gardens, mill and tearoom.
Greg was particularly interested to see the restored mill at Bateman’s which produces the flour for the popular home-made cakes and pastries sold by the tea room.
Gary explained that the team at Bateman’s work to continually improve the visitor experience to help guests get a real feel for what family life was like when Rudyard Kipling lived there. The staff are always on hand with lots of interesting and surprising facts about the family. For example, Greg learned that Kipling, who was a huge celebrity in his day, once told the King of Siam that he couldn’t entertain him at Bateman’s as he already had a group of local scouts visiting.
Bateman’s latest project is a replication of paddle boat “534” which Kipling originally had built for his garden with the money he received from the Nobel Prize in 1907. The replica boat which has been built by volunteer carpenters will be officially launched at Bateman’s pond for the public to use on Thursday 26 April.
Speaking at Bateman’s Greg said “I have thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the beautiful home of Rudyard Kipling which has so much to interest and entertain visitors, from a beautiful yet surprisingly humble interior to wonderful gardens and a working mill. The success of Bateman’s visitor numbers is a real credit to Gary’s dedicated team of staff and volunteers who work so hard to bring the property to life.”