WHEATHAM HILL 201 



and by-roads have come at last to seem one with 

 nature's work. Out of this broken, variegated, richly 

 green surface, here and there, in a sort of range, but 

 irregular like all else, the hills, or hangers, lift their 

 steep, bank-like fronts splendid masses of red and 

 russet gold against the soft grey-blue autumnal sky. 

 It is delightful to walk through this bit of country 

 from Nore Hill, and from hill to hill, across green 

 fields, for the farms are here like wild lands that all 

 are free to use, to Wheatham Hill, the highest point, 

 which rises 800 feet above the sea-level. From this 

 elevation one looks over a great part of that green 

 variegated country of the Hangers, and sees on one 

 hand where it fades close by into the sand and pine 

 district beginning at Wolmer Forest, and on another 

 side, beyond the little town of Petersfield, the region 

 of great rolling downs stretching far away into Sussex. 



In my rambles about this corner of Hampshire, 

 during which I visited all the villages nearest to Sel- 

 borne Empshott, Hawkley, Greatham, East and West 

 Tisted, Worldham, Priors Dean, Colemore, Privett, 

 Froxfield, Hartley Maudit, Blackmore, Oakhanger, 

 Kingsley, Farringdon, and Newton Valence I could 

 not help thinking a good deal about Hampshire village 

 churches generally. It was a subject which had often 

 enough been in my mind before in other parts of the 

 county, but it now came back to me in connection 

 with Gilbert White's strictures on these sacred build- 



