Visit Rottingdean in England

Historic Rottingdean on England's South Coast

Apr 14, 2008 John O'Connor

Situated five miles east of Brighton on England's South Coast, the picturesque village of Rottingdean was home to one of England's most loved poets, Rudyard Kipling.

Rottingdean is a quiet, picturesque village, sitting on the chalk cliffs of the south coast of England, five miles east of bustling, hedonistic Brighton.

A Smugglers Village

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, smuggling was commonplace on the south coast of England. Tobacco, alcohol and even French lace were floated or rowed ashore at Rottingdean and distributed among the web of cellars beneath its High Street.

Should this prove an unsafe storage area, ponies could be loaded and an inland journey across the South Downs was a worthy alternative.

The Reverend Thomas Hooker was even reported to be involved in this spirit of "free enterprise". One story goes that a stranger rode into Rottingdean one night as goods were being distributed on the beach. The man was shocked at the brazen lawlessness and enquired if there was a magistrate or justice of the peace to keep order. No he was told. When asking if he could perhaps be directed to the vicar, who would surely uphold the law, a villager pointed to a figure standing on the shoreline.

“That’s him there, holding the lantern”

The Home Of Rudyard Kipling

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Rottingdean’s seclusion, tranquillity and proximity to the sea proved magnetic for many poets, writers and painters.

Perhaps the best known of these is Rudyard Kipling, who lived in Rottingdean from 1897 to 1902. Born in India in December 1865, the Kipling family returned to England in 1896 and moved to Rottingdean the following year. They lived in The Elms, a house built by William Rudge, and standing on the village green opposite St Margarets Church.

Here Kipling wrote some of his most memorable poems and stories, such as Stalkey & Co, Kim and some of the Just So stories. As Kipling’s fame rose, the house became very popular with tourists who would walk the cliffs from Brighton to glimpse the famous wordsmith.

The Grange and Kipling Gardens

A grand Victorian building, The Grange, is home to the Rottingdean Preservation Society, which now has a Kipling Room open to the public. It houses a reconstruction of his study in The Elms along with exhibits of his work.

The Grange was placed back on the housing market in the 1980s and proposals were forwarded to sell off a large part of the gardens for development.

With public outcry at this thought, The Rottingdean Preservation Society bought the land, transforming an overgrown wilderness into the outstanding Kipling Gardens, large areas of which are open to the public.

A Quintessential English Village

Rottingdean is a quintessential English village, providing a glimpse into another age with its sense of time and history and offering a haven of pleasurable calm for the reflective visitor.

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Rottingdean Cliffs

Kipling Gardens

Rottingdean Beach