[Rudyard Kipling.] Printed keepsake by C. W. Parish, titled 'Mrs. Fleming's Visit', describing a visit in 1945 by Kipling's sister Ann Margaret Fleming to his home (Bateman's in Burwash)

Author: 
C. W. Parish, Bateman's, Burwash, Sussex [Rudyard Kipling; The Kipling Society; T. O'B. Horsford, photographer]
Publication details: 
Printed by The Medici Society Ltd., London. [Introductory note by Parish dated 'Christmas, 1945 | Bateman's | Burwash, Sussex.']
£40.00
SKU: 15605

8pp., landscape 12mo. Saddle-stitched into light-brown printed wraps. In good condition, lightly-aged. A tasteful production, with two full-page illustrations by 'T. O'B. Horsford', captioned 'Bateman's' and 'The Hall'. Introductory note by Parish, inside the front cover: 'The following article was written for the Kipling Society's Journal and is here printed by courtesy of its Editor.' The piece begins: 'It was not long after our arrival in 1940 as the tenants of Bateman's that we learnt that Mr. Kipling had a sister, and we wondered what manner of lady she might be, little expecting ever to meet her. | Judge then of our pleasure when last July, five years later, a letter arrived from Mr. Brooking, founder of our Society, saying that Mrs. Fleming, whose home was in Edinburgh, was on a visit to London and had expressed the wish to see Bateman's again, and that he would escort her. The date was fixed for July 10th, and at midday I met them at Etchingham station. Now how better can I describe this most charming little lady than by saying that she was exactly what you would wish a sister of Mr. Kipling to be.' A letter from Mrs Fleming to Parish, dated from 6 West Coats, Edinburgh, on 17 September 1945, is printed over one and a half pages. Surprisingly scarce: no copy in the British Library or on OCLC WorldCat, and the only copy traced on COPAC in the National Trust collections. Newspaper cutting of letter from Evelyn C. Johnson of Elloughton, regarding 'Burne-Jones's St. Cecilia window', loosely inserted.