Old industry and a peaceful village
The Ironmaster's walk
This walk centres on the area around Bateman's that was, for four centuries after the Norman conquest, a centre of small-scale iron production. There is a longstanding claim that Bateman's was built by a Wealden ironmaster.
The area had all the ingredients for successful iron production; a plentiful supply of iron-ore, timber for charcoal and availability of water.
There's not much left to see of this industry today but if you look carefully you could see signs of the tell-tale waste from the smelting process, called slag, the occasional mine pit and faint evidence of a forge.
The Ironmaster's walk is about 2 miles long and will take about 1 hr to complete. Pick up a copy of our estate walks map from visitor reception for more details of this walk.
Dudwell Farm walks
There are a number of routes that you can take up to Burwash village. Kipling would have walked these many times. They are worth the climb up the hill towards the village and offer some outstanding views.
There's lots to see in the village, even though it is less than it would have been in Kipling's day. Take a stroll along the attractive High Street towards St. Bartholomew's Church where there is a memorial to Kipling's son, John, who is also remembered on the village war memorial.
You can imagine the Kiplings being very much part of village life and if you take a look inside Jarvis the butchers, you'll be able to see a framed order from the Kiplings on display.
In the early 1900s, when the family came to Bateman's, there were 7 pubs in the village. The Bear, one of only 2 remaining today, played host to the Kiplings before they moved into Bateman's in 1902.
Keep your eyes open for the beautiful 17th century house called Rampydene. This was home to Kipling's great friend, Colonel Henry Wemyss Feilden.
The Dudwell Farm walks are about 2½ miles long and will take about 1½ hrs to complete. Pick up a copy of our estate walks map from visitor reception for more details of this walk.
