Green doors

These wonderful wooden gates hide their verdant beauty at the far end of Ham Ridings, which is a pretty good place to hide.

A clutch of trees

The feeling that you have moved from Kingston to Richmond as you walk up Latchmere Lane hits you as soon as you come to Beard Road where a splendid clutch of silver birches decorate the urban landscape. It's like listening to Beethoven's 9th when the chorus suddenly bursts into life.

Gate to Wilmer House

As Church Road curls sharply away from barbaric North Kingston, preferring instead the peace of Richmond Park, it passes the almost unnoticed Wilmer House whose presence is announced with little bravado by a pair of simple gates that just hint at what might be found at the end of the drive.

Some intelligent Googling will give you some idea of who lives there. It's a discrete person who prefers to live in the shadows.

The south east corner of Ham

I am not entirely sure where the south east boundary of Ham is, or should be. I tend to think of Church Road as the boundary but the Borough of Richmond upon Thames extends down Latchmere Lane to encompass Cowper and Beard Roads and this area certainly feels like Ham with its interesting open spaces between the short smart rows of houses.

Latchmere House (back)

The front of Latchmere House is more decorative but carries ugly scars from its job as a resettlement prison. In contrast, the back of the house stands tall, proud and untainted as it watches over Latchmere Lane.

New at Ham House

Almost concealed by a bright flapping tarpaulin is a new arrival to the Wilderness at Ham House. I'll reserve judgement until it is finally exposed but the omens are not good. Not only are the classic pillars inappropriate but the building blocks the long vista that stretches from Ham House all the way across Ham Common and so devalues the work done in opening up Melancholy Walk and Great South Avenue. It also lessens the Wilderness by giving it a focus that it does not want or need, it's meant to be a wilderness!

Towards Ham Common

I've said before that one of the nice things about Ham is the many paths that let you wander without purpose or hindrance; this one connects Mornington Walk to Ham Common and beguiles you with brick as you go.

(Former) All Saints Church from the park

The photo I took a couple of years ago of the former All Saints Church in Bute Avenue, Petersham showed the exquisite decoration at the front of the house. Now winter has stripped the trees in Richmond Park you can see the scale and grandeur of the building. It is possibly my favourite house in Petersham.

Growing up

In just under a year the cygnets on Ham Pond have grown from small fragile bundles of feathers to be as big as their parents with only some juvenile patches of brown betraying their youth.