Hidden in the jungle behind the School of Art in Mumbai is the family home of the writer Rudyard Kipling. This amazing house has been neglected for many years and I was very worried that it would be demolished. I decided to go and attempt to get access to the site and photograph the house before that happened - I got a big surprise when I saw it for the first time through the wire fence.
To my amazement I could see that the house was undergoing a major restoration. There were carpenters hard at work replacing the rotten wood and the original tiled roof had been repaired.
The workers kindly let me on site and allowed me to take a few photographs whist they had their lunch. Here's my wife posing in front of the house.
It's a huge house almost entirely made out of hardwood, I think it was designed by Kipling's father Lockwood who also designed the murals at the nearby Crawford Market.
The restoration is stunning, every effort has been made to preserve the original features.
There was once a botanical garden surrounding the house - some trees have survived but new buildings have encroached. There is a story that hundreds of whisky and gin bottles were dug up when the garden was redeveloped.
The students at the art school have created a sculpture of Kipling and placed it on the veranda. I hope that the authorities open this house as a museum because it is a magical building.
