Leaning tree

While I usually try and mix which part of Ham I post pictures of I have collected several of Sandy Lane so I thought that I would post them as an end-to-end theme, starting with the Petersham Road end in the east.

This young tree has been forced to lean by the strong winds battering it and it does not have any support to help it. It will be fine though it looks a little odd against the vertical lines behind it.

LB23 GVT

HY56 YMW

Gold plaques

Several of the plants in Parkleys have been given memorial gold plaques for former residents. 

New entrance to Ham Close

Work on the surface areas of the new Ham Close development is in its final stages and one of the things that has been completed is the new entrance from Woodville Road, complete with white and yellow lines.

Reduced pond

When I posted a picture of this pond in Ham Common Woods in spring 24 I commented on how unusually wet the area was but now the story is the exact opposite. As we start the first very hot spell of the year the pond has all but disappeared and I had to get quite close to it to be sure that there was any of it left.

Unusual porch

Ham has several large areas of similar looking brick houses built for social housing and over the years quite a few of these have added porches and most of these have followed the style of the having a brick construction and a sloping roof with terracotta tiles. This one in Lammas Road has taken a very different approach and looks horribly out of keeping as a result.

Missing cap

The simple wood boards have gone from the front of Beaufort House but the wall behind them looks to be unaltered. What has gone is the cap on the pillar on the left. That pillar has been built up to the height of the rest of the wall but this work looks messy and may be unfinished. It would be nice to get the other cap back.

Clarendon SEND School is austere

I was fortunate to walk past the new Clarendon SEND School on Meadlands Drive when both gates were open to allow a large truck out and the man on the gate was away from his post guiding the truck out and away; that gave me a decent view of the frontage for the first time. I am not impressed.

As an office building this is fine but as a school I think that it is too austere and unwelcoming. I appreciate that is sits in a sensitive area but I do not think that is a good enough excuse.

BenForrest refresh

I have been keeping an eye on the former Rowleys shop on Ham Parade as work continues to bring it back in to use and while this is happening BenForrest (or is it Ben Forrest?) next door is getting a refresh. 

This is not unexpected as BenForrest arrived on Ham Parade in 2014 and was last refreshed in 2019.

Ham Open Gardens 2026

Having praised the poster for Ham Open Gardens 2024 for its simplicity, things have taken something of a backwards step this year with the main text relegated to one side and the rest of the poster littered with unnecessary text. It looks like a poster designed by a committee.

Neat gate

Continuing the (short) neat and tidy sequence, this is a gate to a car park in Parkleys which has been well looked after in distinct contrast to the nearby fence and wall.

The keypad is something of a conundrum though. There is an open access for cars just a few metres away so there is no security on the site anyway.

Neat and tidy

This property at the bottom end of Ham Street has always looked neat due to its simplicity and regularity and it looks even better after a recent tidy-up. The fresh paint is the most obvious improvement but the little things matter too, like tidying up the cable that used to come out of the front of the bottom right corner.

31 Ham Farm Road revealed

I have been watching progress on the refurbishment of 31 Ham Farm Road for several years so I was very pleased when the hoardings were removed to reveal the house for the first time. As the front garden is still being worked on it is not possible to make final conclusions but first impressions are not great.

The view from this angle is not disastrous though the grey rendering on the upper level is not very pretty and cheapens the look.

 

The view from this angle is disastrous. The black box has no redeeming features and sits poorly with the rest of the house which it dominates.

A stunning garden

Only a few weeks ago I was praising this new garden in Ham Farm Road and since then it has only got better. Some things have shot up taller and more flowers have bloomed. It is absolutely stunning and perfect for wildlife too.

79 Woodville Road

Nothing particularly remarkable here, just another informative, clear to read and aesthetically pleasing house sign.

Fairlawn extends

Fairlawn is hidden away at the far end of Petersham Close. The building on the left is original (as are the shutters) but its neighbour on the right and their roofs are new,

Ham Close landscaping

With most of the work on the buildings finished, attention has moved on to the landscaping. This is very early days but the shape of the border is a good sign.

Nature recovers

Just a year ago, a few sections of land around the paths to Teddington Lock Footbridge were fenced off after being damaged by the construction site for some bridge repairs. This was to allow nature to recover the scarred areas and it has done so spectacularly.

Bacchus

Over the winter the status of Bacchus in the Ham House Cherry Garden is wrapped for its protection and it was nice to find it revealed again on a bright sunny day.

Wall works

Once upon a time there would have been a gate to Beaufort House between the pillars but it has been a brick wall for some time, judging by the age of the bricks and the installation of a lamp post in front of it. The boards hide whatever is happening to it now so that is something that I will be looking out for on a future walk.

Ham Close exposed

For two years the work on the first phase of the Ham Close redevelopment has been largely hidden behind boards but these have now been replaced by a metal chain-link fence exposing the ground floor to full scrutiny for the first time.

This block is facing on to Woodville Road and the entrance appears to be in the recessed section as that is where the letterboxes are.

Exceptionally lovely bricks

Having commented on some nice bricks yesterday I thought I would follow that with a return to The Cottage on Ham Common.

On my previous visit, not long ago, the extension was defined by blocks and these have been clothed with bricks, and exceptionally lovely bricks they are too (a zoom in is recommended). The mix of colours and the rough texture give them character that is completely lacking in the building on the left.

Murray Road extension

I make a point of visiting quieter places like Murray Road regularly just to see if there is anything new and this time it was an extension being built. As always, I like to mark projects like this in case the change is dramatic and also because I like all the physical things associated with these building projects. 

In this case I also very much like the end wall of the house, the bricks are a lovely colour and the contintion of the motar suggests that it was well built.

Little Free Library in Lock Road

The first Little Free Library in the area is in Ashburnham Road and now there is a second one in Lock Road.

Long grass and more

The linear part through Royal Park Gate is looking wonderful in spring and the many small flowers amongst the grasses (zoom in to see the better) are attracting bees and butterflies,

Unfortunately in the time between me taking this photo and then posting it, Kingston Council has brutally mown this area and a misguided resident has swept up the loose grass to prevent the organic matter from enriching the soil.

It used to look natural and lovely and now it looks like the managed garden of somebody who has no interest in wildlife.

Work underway at St Richards

St Richards Church in Ashburnham Road is, I would argue, the most iconic building in Ham so it is good to see the work begin to repair it after much planning and fundraising.

I believe that the plan is to replace the copper roof with a zinc one so it will look different when the work is complete but it will retain its shape and still be just as iconic.

Wrong place, wrong time

My brief investigation of signs on Ham Common ends with this one by Ham Ponds. The two things to notice are that it is not on a formal noticeboard, despite there being several nearby, and it is out of date. 

Given that HAPA&AG organise litter picks in that area every month it is a little surprising that it has not been removed yet.

Undulations

The landscaping of Wates Estate is a constant joy and I wanted to highlight this area, approaching the entrance to TYM from the south, because unlike most of the landscaped areas it is not flat. The recent mowing helps to show the contours but the best way to appreciate the undulations is to walk past it.

Lack of Information Board

Richmond Council went through a spell of introducing new signs for open spaces several years ago (I had a little moan then) and now I am moaning about the way that ones with display areas are updated.

This board on the southern tip of Ham Common is close to a Community Board on Ham Parade which may explain why it is not updated regularly, though that is no excuse for the lack of eye-catching content. I find it hard to believe that anyone ever reads these notices. 

 

The largest notice on display is a text-heavy announcement for last year's Ham Fair.

Corner

I think that it is fair to say that The Hive (the new community centre being built on Ham Village Green) has provoked mixed reactions and while I am not a firm fan I can see nothing wrong with it either. This corner, pointing across the Green, is particularly good with its subtle details and use of colour.

The Cottage grows

The extension to The Cottage on Ham Common seems to be substantial, from the limited amount of it that can be from the road.

Garden meadow

I had been watching the new building at 25 Ham Farm Road for quite some time and while my attention was mostly towards the rather nice house the new front garden is also a worthy addition to the road. 

I saw the meadow section arrive, like the lawn, pre-sown in turf and wondered how it would turn out and only a few months later spring has done its work and produced something delightful. When far too many front gardens are being given over to hard surfaces it is really good to see a garden like this.

The eyes have it

With very little of the house still visible it is hard to judge the nature of this project in Sandy Lane but I do like the way that it seems to be looking at you.

Lone post

There used to be a gate here in this footpath linking Stretton Road and Wiggins Lane but that has gone (probably quite some time ago) and all that remains is this solitary post.

And somewhere along the line, the concrete lamppost on the right became a metal one.

Another garage gone

Turning garages into habitable rooms is nothing new and this one, in Kingfisher Drive, is one of many in Wates Estate. While there is nothing particularly wrong in that, each conversion damages the consistency of the area.

Ramp

When the island in Ham Common Pond was rebuilt two years ago I was concerned about how high the island stood above the water and it seems that others agreed and have installed a crude ramp to provide access to the island.

Dangerous poster

Posters are regularly put up on the railings next to the pedestrian crossing on Ham Parade and most people know that they should be facing the pavement and not the road. This is so that pedestrians can stop and read them but facing the other way they are a dangerous distraction for drivers as the approach the crossing.

The people who put up the poster on the other side of the crossing, for a fair at Hampton Court did it properly.

Some progress at Grey Court

It has been a month or so since I lasted posted a picture of the new building at Grey Court and while there has not been much change in that time a bit more of the building is visible and enough of it to suggest that this is going to be a fairly traditional building.

16 Upper Ham Road

The Hand and Flower has been closed for some months with little visible evidence of this other that no lights and no customers but the arrival of a crude security door confirms the fact.

It also gives the property number as 16 when it has almost always been referred to by its name. Hand and Flower, rather than the number. This may suggest a possible change of use.

Ferrymoor tree

This end of Ferrymoor may be scruffy but the tree helps to make up for that.

The garages in the bottom left have been doomed for over two years but are still there for some reason.

Two empty units

While the unit that used to be Rowleys seems to have found a new owner at one end of Ham Parade at the far end two units have become empty.

In June last year there were for sale by auction signs up and more recently a sold sign appeared, but far too briefly for me to photograph it. Whatever the new owners have in mind does not include the two businesses that were there.

Personally I will not miss Taylor Made having had various animated discussions with some of their drivers over their frequent pavement parking.

With the Hand and Flower closed and the former Gate House also looking for a new tenant, the top end of Ham Parade looks grim at the moment.

Rowleys replaced

It is almost a year (somehow!) since Rowleys on Ham Parade closed and now it looks as though the unit has found a new occupier. That should be good news but that rather depends on what that business is.

New flower bed

The corner where Ashburnham Road meets Broughton Avenue has always been an attractive and well managed space; I posted a picture of some of the flower beds there in 2015 and the tree was planted in 2022.

The latest change is the removal of a stretch of hedge along the end wall of the block of flats to create a new flower bed.

2 Ashfield Close

Cars parked on the drive had thwarted all of my previous attempts to take a full-width picture of 2 Ashfield Close following its extensive refurbishment so I was glad to finally find it car free. The house is both distinctive and attractive.

Clarendon SEND School rises

The new Clarendon SEND School building is well underway and while this is the back of the development it is also the closest that you can get to it, as it is set well back from Meadlands Drive. From here it looks to be a staunchly traditional building with rectangular walls comprised of uniform bricks.

This may not be very exciting but it is appropriate for the area and is much better than the multi-coloured panels that many schools went for a few years ago, including the Kingston Academy extension on Richmond Road in Kingston.

Another view of The Manor House

I posted a view earlier of the works at The Manor House in Petersham looking from Montrose House and this is the view from River Lane. I suspect that the house will look much the same as it did before once all the work is finished but in the meantime it looks good covered in scaffolding.

Ham Close at street level

While the scaffolding has come down on the first blocks in the new Ham Close development there is still a lot of work to do and the red digger in the middle of the picture was busy doing something then I walked past.

What I can see of the new buildings looks good and I hope that the same care is put into the landscaping. The old Ham Close was all grass and tarmac, with too much tarmac, and I am hoping for much better in the new development. Hopefully we will see some of this soon.