Filling the frame

Now that the concrete frame of The Hive (the new community centre being built on Ham Village Green) has been completed the walls are being filled in with breeze blocks and it is starting to look like a building.

Otter

It is always worth walking down what look like less interesting roads because, sometimes, you find interesting things like this otter.

Stokes House door

The wall work at Stokes House is all but complete, there are a couple of pillars still to do, and the latest change is the arrival of a delightfully traditional new front door.

There is a lot to like about the door and its setting and as a deliverer of the Ham and Petersham Magazine I am particularly pleased to see a good sized letterbox and a decent height.

Freeholds for sale

The "For Sale By Auction" signs are not an immediate worry but the auctioneer website says, "The lots offer a variety of potential different uses/further developments" and "The site has previously had a positive pre app commercial, residential & mixed use development with an additional 2.5 stories."

The threat is not immediate as both tenants have leases running to 2029 but that is only four years away.

A new road

As the blocks in the first stage of the Ham Close development take shape so does the road between them. This is the view looking south from Woodville Road.

Not white

The rule here is clearly that fences must be white so it is a shame that somebody has chosen to break ranks and pick a different colour. The one saving grace is that it matches the front door but that is not a good enough excuse.

Dysart construction

Any construction project locally interests me, even one as small as this one in Dysart Avenue.

Untypical Wates Estate

A few days ago I posted a typcal view of Wates Estate and, in contrast, here is an untypical one. This is one of the hidden squares off Ashburnham Road which one of the residents has decided to decorate with artificial grass and fish carvings.

Ham House

Another visit to Ham House means another excuse to post a picture of it.

To Petersham Nurseries

This wall at the entrance to the narrow path leading east of River Lane has two more signs lower down pointing the way to Richmond and Ham which makes it easy to overlook this one.

Typical Wates Estate

Wates Estate is a lovely part of Ham thanks to its layout and associated landscaping. These houses  are on Broughton Avenue are typical and a joy to walk past.

Hollybush House alterations

I knew that work was being done to Hollybush House in Church Road and I thought that it was all on the ground floor and would be hidden behind the hoardings so I was a little surprised to discover work in progress on some first floor windows.

The hoardings are up to the highest current standard showing both what the revised house will look like and confirming the house name (top centre).

Wood over metal

I am intrigued by construction of the new house, where Little Cottage used to sit on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue, because it began unusually with a steel frame. To this a wooden structure is being added.

Wall work

The wall work at Stokes House in Ham Street continues to interest me and it has progressed noticeable since I last posted a picture of it a couple of weeks ago. It has gained caping stones along the top and a slightly wider section along the bottom.

Kitchen Garden at Ham House

The Kitchen Garden at Ham House is always a delight and even more so when it is as abundent as this.