26 November 2007

Identification sign on Greig House

Greig House is one of the blocks in Ham Close. They have recently been given new identification signs, like this one.

Petersham Lodge Woods

These small woods are bounded by River Lane on the east, the Thames on the north and Petersham Lodge on the south and so form the north-east corner of Ham.

Ham Close

Ham Close is, arguably, in the middle of Ham and contains a few mid-rise blocks, like this one. Woodville Road is in the background.

Ham Common at dusk

It was actually a bit too dark to take this picture but I did it anyway! It is taken from the middle of Ham Common looking south where Forbes House is rather prominent.

Building in Ham Street


This attractive building is in the lower part of Ham Street, between Sandy Lane and Riverside Drive. It is in the grounds of the Manor House and I presume that it was once a coach house or some such.

19 November 2007

Mariner Gardens

Mariner Gardens cuts the corner between Ashburnham Road and Broughton Avenue. This square with several trees is at the bend in the middle of the road.

Crane on Ham Common

This small crane was used in the building of the new house at 18 Ham Common.

18 November 2007

Mural off Ashburnham Road


This mural
is on the end of the parade of shops at the east end of Ashburnham Road, by Grey Court School. The recycling centre is just to the left of the picture.

Ham House at Christmas

This large banner on the railings at Ham House advertises its Christmas opening hours.

Mural off Ashburnham Road

This is part of the mural overlooking the Ham Youth Club off Ashburnham Road. Like other murals locally, it was organised by the Save the World Club and was produced by local children and is in an area that used to be blighted by graffiti.

Low tide at River Lane


This is the Thames at the bottom of River Lane looking towards Richmond. The tide was so low it looked as though you could have walked across. This only happens in November when Richmond Lock is opened which allows the river to drain fully.

Interesting front door in Lock Road

I have always liked this front door in Lock Road because, unusually, it opens down the middle and is hinged on both sides.

Evelyn Road

Evelyn Road off Ham Street is a short no-through-road with attractive cottages.

Works at Teddington Lock

The improvement works at Teddington Lock include repairs to some of the embankments and some additional moorings.

Cottage garden in Lock Road

This small garden in Lock Road makes good use of the little space available and adds to it with window boxes, trellises and a wooden plant pot by the front door. All very nice.

Western edge of Ham Common

This view of Ham Common is from the far west corner, near the church, looking due east towards Ham Pond.

General stores in Ham Street

The general stores in Ham Street always seems to be open and busy.

Temporary bridge to the island at Teddington Lock

This bridge has been constructed over Teddington Lock to get heavy machinery to the island.

Ham Pond in November

The colours and the light attracted me to take this seasonal picture of Ham Pond.

Signposts on Ham Avenue

Two things intrigue me about this signpost, firstly it is an unusual colour and secondly all the distances are rounded to a rather suspicious 1/4 mile.

White cottages in Ham Street

These cottages in the middle of Ham Street have all been refurbished recently and look very attractive with their pristine white finishes.

House at Teddington Lock

The smaller of the two houses at Teddington Lock is used as a cafe in Summer, but it is closed in November.

Long shadows across Ham Common

These long shadows were at about 2pm. Winter is coming!

Proposed planting for Great South Avenue

These are the detailed proposals by London's Arcadia for the revised planting of Great South Avenue between Sandy Lane and Ham Common. I do not like many of London's Arcadia's proposals for Ham as they tend to replace wilderness with formality (such as the hideous new footbridge by Ham House) and Great South Avenue has also been mismanaged in recent years (e.g. the short-lived barrier between the footpath and the bridle path), and these proposals seem to be more of the same. I like this path as it is and do not want to see it changed to the boring formality of Melancholy Walk.

10 November 2007

Locksmeade merges into Ham Lands

The grass in the foreground of this picture is part of Ham Lands which merges nicely into the small Locksmeade development.

A typical view of the Wates Estate

The Wates Estate has lots of nice spots like this one where the houses are surrounded by attractive mature plants, and there are no cars in sight!

Tree in Ham Lands

Barrier at Ham and Petersham Rifle and Pistol Club

Hidden in Ham Lands, somewhere near Ham House, is the Ham and Petersham Rifle and Pistol Club. The main evidence that it is there is the two large walls at the end of the range (this is the second and the furthest away from the club) that stop any stray shots from reaching Riverside Drive.

Locksmeade Road

Locksmeade is a small development off Riverside Drive and next to the path to Teddington. Like the Wates Estate, it is nicely laid out with lots of mature plants.

Another nice open space in Ham



This nice piece of open space is on the junction of Ham Street and Riverside Drive.

Tree in Riverside Drive

This is the start of the Wates Estate on Riverside Drive, but what attracted me was the tree with the blue sky behind it.

More recycling

A few of these signs have appeared on Ham Parade.

Palms

Surprisingly, these palms are in The Palm Centre.

R 638 XJO is on the pavement

Path in Ham Lands

This little path is off the main path across Ham Lands to Teddington Lock and, like all the best paths in Ham Lands, it does not really go anywhere.

The Palm Centre

The Palm Centre in Ham Street is rather hidden behind high brick walls, so it needs this sign by the entrance.

Ostrich

This statue of an ostrich is in The Palm Centre in Ham Street.

Melancholy Walk

Melancholy Walk in Autumn, looking towards Ham House.

Mia Wood is now open


Mia Wood, the new shop on Ham Parade, is now open. It sells decorative household items like candles, cushions and knick-knacks. I can see me using the shop regularly for unusual and charming presents.

Landscaping in Wates Estate

I cannot remember precisely where this all (the Wates Estate all looks much the same to me, a nice "same" though) but it is somewhere near Breamwater Gardens.

LG54 YZC on double yellow lines

Leaves turning from green to brown


This tree happens to be down Ham Street but that does not really matter, I just like colour of the leaves.

Horses

These horses are on the edge of Ham Lands, opposite Riverside Drive.

By Teddington Lock

This is Ham Lands in its Autumn glory. The picture is looking almost directly towards the footbridge at Teddington Lock and the path to it is just by the trees on the right-hand side of the picture.

Ham Parade looking north (2007)


The best place to appreciate Ham Parade is in the middle of the road! Like most locals, I cross the road almost anywhere except at any of the pedestrian crossings so I have plenty of opportunity to take pictures like this one.

Boundary of The Palm Centre

The Palm Centre in Ham Street goes all the way back to Ham House. The two pillars behind the wall are to the garden gate at Ham House. There is no clue in Melancholy Walk that there is such an unusual shop on the other side of the wall.

New fence on Riverside Drive

This new fence is around the sports ground on Riverside Drive and is probably there to protect the new pavilion that has just be built to replace the one that was burned down.

Flats in Croft Way

The new flats in Croft Way look almost finished but I have not been able to find them for sale on the Foxtons website yet.

Ground floor almost complete

This is the new house on Ham Common, next to Forbes House which you can just see in the background.

These magnificent bamboos can be found at the Palm Centre in Ham Street, down by Ham House.