“Kipling would still love it today”
Gardens and Estate Manager Len Bernamont shares his insights
Len oversees three National Trust properties in East Sussex: Bateman’s, Bodiam Castle and Monk’s House. He’s worked at Bateman’s for five years and manages a team of two full-time gardeners, one seasonal part-time gardener, an estate ranger and around 25 volunteers.
What jobs do you tackle in October? A normal year sees us clearing our annual display from the Mulberry Garden – a massive display of f lowers and veg that shines from summer into autumn. There’s tidying up to do in perennial borders too, and we generally start the process of putting the garden to bed, forking over borders and filling gaps with plants for next year.
Are any special projects planned this autumn? We’re putting an extra focus on our spring bulb display next year, so we’ll start by planting the narcissi before the later camassias, bluebells and wood anemones. The other major project is a wholesale refresh of the main borders in the front and formal gardens. We’ll be planting new shrubs and perennials to help extend the season of interest.
How important is it to maintain the gardens as Kipling planned them? Bateman’s is a typical 17th-century Jacobean manor house, and would possibly have had a parterre garden in the original design. Unfortunately none of this remains, so today its Grade II listing reflects only the significance of it being Rudyard Kipling’s garden. The structure, as laid out by Kipling, is still intact, but we have very little detail of his original planting plans. Kipling spoke of the garden as being uncluttered and not showy, which presents us with the challenge of staying true to that spirit, while making sure there’s plenty of horticultural interest for visitors.
How does this affect what you plant? We try to source plants that would’ve been available to the Edwardian gardener of the day, but we also take the view that gardens should be able to evolve. We quite often use cultivars better suited to today’s climate and the growing number of modern pests and diseases. With an ever-increasing number of visitors, the biggest challenge is meeting the conservation needs of the garden and keeping it looking its best all year round.
Do you have any of Kipling’s garden plans, notes or photographs? Although it’s less than 100 years since Kipling died, we have very few documents relating to the garden. All we really have to go on are a few black and white photos and some tithe and OS maps. We do have a lovely sketch plan Kipling made of the Lily Pond and Rose Garden from 1907, which can be seen in his study, and his poem The Glory of the Garden gives us a glimpse of how Kipling felt about his garden and the work it required.
What makes Bateman’s so special? It’s located in the most beautiful setting of rolling hills and hay meadows grazed by cattle, and it’s managed in a way that means Kipling would still recognise it today. But it’s the sense of peace and tranquillity that visitors comment on most.