Now if I asked what type of person your average National Trust member would be, I'm not sure if you would think of a single man in his early 30's? Well that is me, a fairly newly signed up member. I think it's my nosiness, being able to snoop around houses and other historic buildings, lovingly cared for by the NT and their army of volunteers. Being the person I have just described does have its down points when visiting these properties though, but more on that later. So this morning was a slightly overcast sort of day in the south-east and I decided it was time to make use of my membership once more. A little trip down the A21 was in order to visit the ...  Read the complete review

Mention the words "National Trust" and you'll likely get a variety of responses but one response is likely to be "oh yes, they of the stuffy houses and posh gardens oft frequented by late middle-aged, middle class bores". OK, maybe the language might not be that florid but the sentiment stands. Well, once, maybe this was the case, but the NT is changing and over the last few years has made a real effort to be less stuffy and far more accessible to all, so much so that we carried on a family tradition and bought my son life membership of the NT for his 5th birthday. Bateman's is typical of many trust properties, a fine house and extensive ...  Read the complete review

During the summer holidays we spent a week in Sussex visiting relatives. As we are members of the National Trust we decided to visit a few Trust owned properties during our stay. Looking on the map I noted that Bateman's was within striking distance so decided to visit. Bateman's was once the home of the literary genius Rudyard Kipling, and as my children are both keen on the Jungle Book I thought the visit would be something they would enjoy. Getting there. ************ Bateman's is situated ½ a mile from the small village of Burwash in East Sussex. We traveled by car and found the house was well sign posted from miles away. I'm not going to spend ...  Read the complete review

Having never been a great one for literature, the works of Rudyard Kipling, whilst of passing familiarity, have not previously been of any great interest to me. However, the lifestyle and Sussex connections of this famous gentleman are well enough documented so as to be a fascinating story in their own right....... ......and for those of you even less versed in these things than I, no, this review has nothing to do with cakes and pastries - that is a very different Mr Kipling! The subject of this review, a not terribly large or extravagant country house, by the name of Bateman's, is very much at the centre of the Kipling story. It would also, now, ...  Read the complete review