Rare archive photo of Rock House rampart & garden |
Notably, he wrote The Jungle Book, Kim, The Man Who Would Be King, and many short stories and poems including Gunga Din and If.
Between 1896 and 1898 Kipling and his wife lived in Rock House, Langley Lane (subsequently renamed Rock House Lane probably in recognition of its raised profile) Maidencombe, just off the A379 corniche between Torquay and Shaldon.
Kipling was enchanted with Rock House and its glorious setting when he first arrived in 1896 on an extended let but his mood changed abruptly after he and his wife had a nasty tumble on their tandem in the narrow, twisting lanes that abounded nearby that they had been exploring.
A great melancholy overtook Kipling and he made a flimsy excuse (leaky cistern) to escape the lease.
The archive photo (above) illustrates the faux castellations above the north wing to the left and looks northeast out onto Babbacombe Bay.
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