Followed.......
To the left side of the Inner Hall is the Parlour, where Rudyard Kipling would sit in front of the fire and talk with his guest or play word games after dinner. One staff kindly showed me a brass seal with swastika motif in a cupboard. Then I first time know the origin of the word ‘swastika’. Surprisingly it’s not originally from German. The name of Swastika comes from the Sanskrit and is derived from Svasti meaning well-being and prosperity. Rudyard Kipling was strongly influenced by Indian culture and had s swastika on the dust jackets of all his books until the rise of Nazism made this inappropriate.
To the left side of the Inner Hall is the Parlour, where Rudyard Kipling would sit in front of the fire and talk with his guest or play word games after dinner. One staff kindly showed me a brass seal with swastika motif in a cupboard. Then I first time know the origin of the word ‘swastika’. Surprisingly it’s not originally from German. The name of Swastika comes from the Sanskrit and is derived from Svasti meaning well-being and prosperity. Rudyard Kipling was strongly influenced by Indian culture and had s swastika on the dust jackets of all his books until the rise of Nazism made this inappropriate.
(The cupboard of the Parlour)
In the Parlour I also saw several portraits of Rudyard Kipling which I found very interesting. Until this point of my visit I had never seen an image of Kipling. 
(the portraits of Rudyard Kipling)
To the right side of the Inner Hall is Elsie’s sitting room that was used for Kipling’s children to have their lessons under the directions of a governess. When Elsie, his younger daughter, became sixteen it was made into her sitting room. There is an exit to garden from the Inner Hall, and a staircase leading to the first floor. Stepping up I saw a portrait of Kipling on the stairs, which was painted by John Collier in 1900 shortly after losing his oldest daughter.
First I went into Kipling’s Study. This room was his principal work space. I was surprised to see how small it was. I always imagined a Nobel Literature Prize winner required much larger space in which to be creative. There I saw his book collection: the classics of English literature and 500 volumes of India; large selections on the Navy and the Empire; books on beekeeping, angling, rural England and rat catching, etc.
There is a photographic portrait of Dr L. S. Jameson who was one of Kipling’s heroes and inspired his most famous poem, ‘If’.
There is a portrait of Kipling’s wife, hanging above the fireplace. And in front of the fireplace there is a rug made from a wolverine skin.
Opposite to Kipling’s Study it is the West Bedroom that was used by some distinguished visitors, one of which was Kipling’s cousin, the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. The West Bedroom is quite small, but offers magnificent views over the garden and estate. There is a portrait of Kipling painted by John Collier, wearing an Indian tunic during the period he was living in London.
There is a portable wardrobe at a corner that was used for travel. One staff kindly pointed out the pearlware jug to me. The pearlware jug was painted in blue and gold leap by Kipling’s father; pear shaped body decorated with two portraits of Bacchus and male accompanist, in a horseshoe frame. After a shot chat with the staff I popped over to the Exhibition Room.
continued......you will see a 18th working watermill.
