On reaching Quenington we catch a glimpse of the river, whilst high up on the hill to our right stands the great pile of Hatherop Castle.  This place, the present owner of which is Sir Thomas Bazley, formerly belonged to the nunnery of Lacock.  After the suppression of the monasteries it passed through various heiresses to the family of Ashley.  It was practically rebuilt by William Spencer Ponsonby, first Lord de Mauley; his son, Mr. Ashley Ponsonby, sold it to Prince Duleep Singh, from whom it passed to the present owner.  Sir Thomas Bazley has done much for the village which is fortunate enough to claim him as a resident; his estate is a model of what country estates ought to be, unprofitable though it must have proved as an investment.

As we pass on through the fair villages of Quenington and Coln-St.-Aldwyns we cannot help noticing the delightful character of the houses from a picturesque point of view; in both these hamlets there are the same clean-looking stone cottages and stone-tiled roofs.  Here and there the newer cottages are roofed with ordinary slate; and this seems a pity.  Nevertheless, there still remains much that is picturesque to be seen on all sides.  Roses grow in every garden, clematis relieves with its rich purple shade the walls of many a cosy little dwelling-house, and the old white mills, with their latticed windows and pointed gables, are a feature of every tiny hamlet through which the river flows.

     “How gay the habitations that adorn
      This fertile valley!  Not a house but seems
      To give assurance of content within,
      Embosom’d happiness, and placid love.”

      WORDSWORTH.

The beautiful gabled house close to the Norman church of Coln-St.-Aldwyns is the old original manor house.  Inside it is an old oak staircase, besides other interesting relics of the Elizabethan age.  For many years this has been a farmhouse, but it has recently been restored by its owner, Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, the present Chancellor of the Exchequer, who intends to make it his country abode.  A piece of carved stone with four heads was discovered by the workmen engaged in the restoration, and is to be placed over the front door.  It is doubtless a remnant of an old monastery, and dates back to Norman times.

Williamstrip House and Park lie on your right-hand side as you leave the village of “Coln” behind you.  This place also belongs to Sir Michael Hicks-Beach; it has always seemed to us the beau-ideal of an English home.  A medium-sized, comfortable square house of the time of George I., surrounded by some splendid old trees, in a park not too large, a couple of miles or so of excellent trout-fishing, very fair shooting, and good hunting would seem to be a combination of sporting advantages that few country places enjoy.  Williamstrip came into the family of the present owner in 1784.  The three parishes of Hatherop, Quenington, and Coln-St.-Aldwyns practically adjoin each other.  Each has its beautiful church, the Norman doorways in that of Quenington being well worth a visit.  Close to the church of Quenington are the remnants of an ancient monastery.