The Palm Centre has expanded

I have always liked the Palm Centre and I pop in there from time to time just to enjoy the plants, glasshouses and garden ornaments. When I visit I explore every corner and on a recent visit I found that there were now even more corners to explore.

There always was a separate planting area almost hidden away in the north-west corner and when I went into that I discovered another large planting area off of that one. Ham Street lies beyond the brick wall at the back.

This section of the Palm Centre is vast and I have tried to show that in these pictures. At the far end they reach almost up to Orangery café at Ham House.

House demolished in Ham Farm Road

Last time I took this picture, just a couple of weeks ago, the house was still visible above the boarding and now it has gone. It will be June before the new Huf Haus starts to appear in its place.

Battered doors at Petersham Grange

I've featured Petersham Grange before because it is a distinctive and attractive house and I like this battered door too. The main entrance, just to the left, is wide and ungated so this door is not used.

New box and hatch door

Just as the path leaves Parkleys heading for Church Road the entrance to Beechrow is on the right and on the left this large box and hatch have just appeared. They are just beyond the smaller box and hatch door that have been there for many years and which I once managed to look in to.

Vetech Motor Services

The old signs for Vetech Motor Services were tatty and broken so they deserve to be replaced. The red makes the new signs very bold and eye-catching, especially for anyone waiting at the 371 bus stop opposite or emerging from Northweald Lane.

New gate in an old wall

A new gate is being built into the long and old wall that encompasses large parts of the Ham House estate at the east end of Ham Street. Behind the wall lies the Palm Centre.

Brash signs at Physio Extra

The Physio Extra gym in Upper Ham Road, at the north-west end of Ham Parade, has acquired some brash new signs that are somewhat out of keeping with the brick buildings. It is hard to avoid them when walking past, which I guess is the point.

139 Petersham Road

I like the way that every time that 139 Petersham Road has added new house numbers that they have left the old ones there. It is an interesting history of fonts and fashions.

Stunning window at Ham Village Centre

I am enjoying watching Ham Village Centre emerge from what was the Royal Oak on the corner of Ham Street and Sandy Lane. This window facing Ham Street is the most impressive feature so far.

Drawn into the window is a detailed historical map of the area and I find it impossible to walk past it without pausing to look at it.

This close-up shows just how detailed the map is. The public house (P.H.) in the centre of the photo is, obviously, the location of the Ham Village Centre.