Burwash, East Sussex
Encyclopedia
Burwash is a rural village and civil parish in the Rother
District of East Sussex
, England
. Situated fifteen miles (24 km) inland from the South Coast port of Hastings
, it is located five miles (8 km) south-west of Hurst Green
, on the A265 road, and on the River Dudwell, a tributary of the River Rother
. In an area steeped in history, some nine miles (14 km) to the south-east lies Battle Abbey
and eight miles (13 km) to the east is Bodiam Castle
.
Its main claim to fame is that for half of his life Rudyard Kipling
(1865–1936) lived in the village at Bateman's
. Kipling used the house's setting and the wider local area as the setting for many of his stories in Puck of Pook's Hill
(1906) and the sequel Rewards and Fairies
(1910), and there is a Kipling room at "The Bear" public house, one of two pubs located along Burwash High Street. Rudyard's son John Kipling, known as Jack, fell during World War I
and is named on the village memorial at the end of Bell Alley Lane. He was named after Rudyard's father, the artist John Lockwood Kipling
, C.I.E. (1837–1911), who provided illustrations for the classic story collection The Jungle Book
. A complete collection of Kipling's works, including Just So Stories
, Rewards and Fairies
, The Man Who Would Be King
and Kim
, was published as the "Burwash Edition" (1941).
took place here in the 18th and 19th century and several smugglers' graves can still be seen in the churchyard of St Bartholomew's.The main route connecting Heathfield
and Hawkhurst
was a toll-road, through Burwash, and was a notorious spot for highwaymen. Burwash was one of the villages involved in the Wealden iron industry
, and there was a forge
located at Burwash Weald, close to the site of the historic "Wheel" public house.
by Rother
district council. The intention is to preserve the character of the village by strictly controlling building within the area. Additionally, the buildings along the High Street have been given listed building status by English Heritage
, including a garden wall. The magnificent Batemans mansion, a fine example of Jacobean architecture
formerly owned by Nobel Prize
winning author Rudyard Kipling, is now a National Trust
property, open to the public. It can be found just outside the main village on the Burwash Weald and Common side, and is set within 33 acres (133,546.4 m²) of the Sussex Weald, and includes a working watermill
and millpond, which connects to the River Dudwell. The location was used while shooting the film My Boy Jack
(2007), starring Daniel Radcliffe
There is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
within the parish—Dallington Forest
, an area of ancient woodland. Its interest lies in a nationally rare habitat as a result of a steep-sided stream flowing through the site.
Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Burwash lies within the Darwell ward, which provides two councillors. The May 2007 election returned one Conservative and one independent councillor.
East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Burwash falls within the Rother North West ward. Anthony (John) Barnes, Conservative, was elected in the May 2005 election with 56.3% of the vote.
The UK Parliament constituency for Burwash is Bexhill and Battle. Gregory Barker
was re-elected in the May 2010 election.
At European level, Burwash is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament
. The June 2004 election returned 4 Conservatives, 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 UK Independence, 1 Labour and 1 Green, none of whom live in East Sussex (albeit Green MEP Keith Taylor lives in Brighton, historically part of East Sussex).
er Albert Relf
(1874–1937) was born here, The Who
frontman Roger Daltrey
maintains a Holmshurst Manor
country estate and Lakedown fishery near Burwash Common, Robert Smith
, singer and founding member of Indie band The Cure
is a resident, and pioneering New Wave
musician Gary Numan
has a residence closeby. As Kipling's main home, Batemans was host to many notable visitors including fellow author Sir Henry Rider Haggard and Kipling's cousin Stanley Baldwin
, who was Britain's Prime Minister
from 1935-1937. Kingsley Amis
visited Batemans whilst preparing a tribute to Kipling (Amis' father was a resident of Burwash in the 1960s). Prime Minister James Callaghan
lived just outside the village.
Rother
Rother is a local government district in East Sussex, England. The district is named after the River Rother which flows within its boundaries.-History:...
District of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Situated fifteen miles (24 km) inland from the South Coast port of Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, it is located five miles (8 km) south-west of Hurst Green
Hurst Green, East Sussex
Hurst Green is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The village is located on the A21 road, thirteen miles north of Hastings....
, on the A265 road, and on the River Dudwell, a tributary of the River Rother
River Rother (Eastern)
The River Rother , at 35 miles , is a river flowing through both East Sussex and Kent, England. Its source is near Rotherfield , and its mouth is on Rye Bay, part of the English Channel....
. In an area steeped in history, some nine miles (14 km) to the south-east lies Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a partially ruined abbey complex in the small town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the scene of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St...
and eight miles (13 km) to the east is Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, with the permission of Richard II, ostensibly to defend the area against French invasion during the Hundred Years' War...
.
Its main claim to fame is that for half of his life Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
(1865–1936) lived in the village at Bateman's
Bateman's
Bateman's is a 17th-century house located in Burwash, East Sussex, England. British author Rudyard Kipling lived in Bateman's from 1902 to his death in 1936. His wife left the house to the National Trust on her death in 1939, and it has since been opened to the public.- Exterior :Bateman's is a...
. Kipling used the house's setting and the wider local area as the setting for many of his stories in Puck of Pook's Hill
Puck of Pook's Hill
Puck of Pook's Hill is a historical fantasy book by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1906, containing a series of short stories set in different periods of English history. The stories are all narrated to two children living near Burwash, in the area of Kipling's own house Bateman's, by people...
(1906) and the sequel Rewards and Fairies
Rewards and Fairies
Rewards and Fairies is a historical fantasy book by Rudyard Kipling published in 1910. The title comes from the poem Farewell, Rewards and Fairies by Richard Corbet. The poem is referred to by the children in the first story of the preceding book Puck of Pook's Hill...
(1910), and there is a Kipling room at "The Bear" public house, one of two pubs located along Burwash High Street. Rudyard's son John Kipling, known as Jack, fell during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and is named on the village memorial at the end of Bell Alley Lane. He was named after Rudyard's father, the artist John Lockwood Kipling
John Lockwood Kipling
John Lockwood Kipling, C.I.E. was an English art teacher, illustrator, museum curator, and father of author Rudyard Kipling.-Biography:...
, C.I.E. (1837–1911), who provided illustrations for the classic story collection The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. The stories were first published in magazines in 1893–4. The original publications contain illustrations, some by Rudyard's father, John Lockwood Kipling. Kipling was born in India and spent the first six...
. A complete collection of Kipling's works, including Just So Stories
Just So Stories
The Just So Stories for Little Children were written by British author Rudyard Kipling. They are highly fantasised origin stories and are among Kipling's best known works.-Description:...
, Rewards and Fairies
Rewards and Fairies
Rewards and Fairies is a historical fantasy book by Rudyard Kipling published in 1910. The title comes from the poem Farewell, Rewards and Fairies by Richard Corbet. The poem is referred to by the children in the first story of the preceding book Puck of Pook's Hill...
, The Man Who Would Be King
The Man Who Would Be King
For the 1975 film based on this story, see The Man Who Would Be King "The Man Who Would Be King" is a short story by Rudyard Kipling. It is about two British adventurers in British India who become kings of Kafiristan, a remote part of Afghanistan...
and Kim
Kim (novel)
Kim is a picaresque novel by Rudyard Kipling. It was first published serially in McClure's Magazine from December 1900 to October 1901 as well as in Cassell's Magazine from January to November 1901, and first published in book form by Macmillan & Co. Ltd in October 1901...
, was published as the "Burwash Edition" (1941).
History
SmugglingSmuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
took place here in the 18th and 19th century and several smugglers' graves can still be seen in the churchyard of St Bartholomew's.The main route connecting Heathfield
Heathfield, East Sussex
Heathfield is a small market town, and the principal settlement in the civil parish of Heathfield and Waldron in the Wealden District of East Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, England.-Location:...
and Hawkhurst
Hawkhurst
Hawkhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. The parish lies to the south-east of Tunbridge Wells. Hawkhurst itself is virtually two villages...
was a toll-road, through Burwash, and was a notorious spot for highwaymen. Burwash was one of the villages involved in the Wealden iron industry
Wealden iron industry
The Wealden iron industry was located in the Weald of south-eastern England. It was formerly an important industry, producing a large proportion of the bar iron made in England in the 16th century and most British cannon until about 1770. Ironmaking in the Weald used ironstone from various clay...
, and there was a forge
Forge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
located at Burwash Weald, close to the site of the historic "Wheel" public house.
Landmarks
The High Street of Burwash has been designated a Conservation areaConservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
by Rother
Rother
Rother is a local government district in East Sussex, England. The district is named after the River Rother which flows within its boundaries.-History:...
district council. The intention is to preserve the character of the village by strictly controlling building within the area. Additionally, the buildings along the High Street have been given listed building status by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
, including a garden wall. The magnificent Batemans mansion, a fine example of Jacobean architecture
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
formerly owned by Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winning author Rudyard Kipling, is now a National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
property, open to the public. It can be found just outside the main village on the Burwash Weald and Common side, and is set within 33 acres (133,546.4 m²) of the Sussex Weald, and includes a working watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
and millpond, which connects to the River Dudwell. The location was used while shooting the film My Boy Jack
My Boy Jack (film)
My Boy Jack is a 2007 television drama based on David Haig's 1997 play of the same name. It was filmed in August 2007, with Haig as Rudyard Kipling and Daniel Radcliffe as John Kipling. It does not include act three of the play, which extended to the 1920s and 1930s. Instead it ends with Kipling...
(2007), starring Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series....
There is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
within the parish—Dallington Forest
Dallington Forest
Dallington Forest is a 16.2 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, located in East Sussex, England. The site was notified in 1985 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and is currently an area of ancient woodland....
, an area of ancient woodland. Its interest lies in a nationally rare habitat as a result of a steep-sided stream flowing through the site.
Governance
The lowest level of government is the Burwash parish council, which meets once a month. The parish council is responsible for local amenities such as the provision of litter bins, bus shelters and allotments. It also provides a voice into the district council meetings. The parish council comprises thirteen councillors with elections being held every four years. The May 2007 election was uncontested.Rother District council provides the next level of government with services such as refuse collection, planning consent, leisure amenities and council tax collection. Burwash lies within the Darwell ward, which provides two councillors. The May 2007 election returned one Conservative and one independent councillor.
East Sussex county council is the third tier of government, providing education, libraries and highway maintenance. Burwash falls within the Rother North West ward. Anthony (John) Barnes, Conservative, was elected in the May 2005 election with 56.3% of the vote.
The UK Parliament constituency for Burwash is Bexhill and Battle. Gregory Barker
Gregory Barker
Gregory Leonard George "Greg" Barker is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Member of Parliament for Bexhill and Battle...
was re-elected in the May 2010 election.
At European level, Burwash is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. The June 2004 election returned 4 Conservatives, 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 UK Independence, 1 Labour and 1 Green, none of whom live in East Sussex (albeit Green MEP Keith Taylor lives in Brighton, historically part of East Sussex).
Notable people
CricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er Albert Relf
Albert Relf
Albert Edward Relf, born at Burwash, East Sussex on 26 June 1874, and died at Wellington College, Berkshire on 26 March 1937, was a cricketer who played for Sussex and England....
(1874–1937) was born here, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
frontman Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
maintains a Holmshurst Manor
Holmshurst Manor
Holmshurst Manor is a Jacobean country house located in East Sussex near Burwash, England. In 1970 it was purchased by Roger Daltrey of The Who.-Description:...
country estate and Lakedown fishery near Burwash Common, Robert Smith
Robert Smith (musician)
Robert James Smith is an English musician. He is the lead singer, guitar player and principal songwriter of the rock band The Cure, and its only constant member since its founding in 1976...
, singer and founding member of Indie band The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
is a resident, and pioneering New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
musician Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
has a residence closeby. As Kipling's main home, Batemans was host to many notable visitors including fellow author Sir Henry Rider Haggard and Kipling's cousin Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
, who was Britain's Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
from 1935-1937. Kingsley Amis
Kingsley Amis
Sir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism...
visited Batemans whilst preparing a tribute to Kipling (Amis' father was a resident of Burwash in the 1960s). Prime Minister James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
lived just outside the village.