South from Canterbury to Pevensy

Rudyard Kipling’s house (Bateman House) was a find. Mrs Kipling bequeathed the estate in its entirety to the National Trust. Why? She had had three children, one daughter died in infancy, the son was killed in WW1 and the other daughter had no children.
The place had the original furnishings, including, sketches of the children when they were young, Kipling’s writing desk in situ, his Nobel Prize certificate and medal, and his Rolls Royce Phantom 1. Mrs Kipling did not like modernisation so did not install a more modern bathroom, preferring to have the help carry water.

By chance we stopped at a picturesque town called Alfriston, near the South Downs and one of the 26 most beautiful villages in England. Fabulous film location. The highlight was the Clergy House which was built in the 14th century and was the first acquisition of the national Trust in 1896. Fabulous.
The old lady who lived in the house before 1896 was described as.....i will paraphrase......"having a resting bitch face but was found to be pleasant. She rang the bells in the next door church, would pull on the bell ropes and then be taken up from the floor where you could see here white stockings and hobnail boots. The village character. "

Finished the day with a castle.

A good day, great cool weather. As one English gentleman put it...We don’t like the heat.. We like it like this, cool, cloudy and hopefully a touch of rain later in the evening. Couldn’t have said it better myself.Read more