Mervyn Smith swap

After an extended stay two doors down, Mervyn Smith is now back in its original home on Ham Parade.

 

Meanwhile the temporary home is being reworked, either just to remove all traces of Mervyn Smith or to prepare for a new tenant. Hopefully the latter as there are already several unused and underused units on the struggling Parade.

Noisy works

Noisy work was going on at the BP garage at Ham Cross for a few days, and access was restricted during that time, the end result of which is that nothing much seems to have changed. 

The drainage grill across the exit was replaced but it looks the same as before so something else subterranean must have been done.

Road restricted

I have long wanted to see speed restriction measures in Church Road though I never thought that they would be done like this. I approve!

Speed camera

I suspect that Craig Road never had, and never will have, a speed camera but it has a warning sign just in case.

25 Ham Farm Road revealed

For many months my views of 25 Ham Farm Road have relied on a hole in the hoarding or finding the gate open so it is a relief to find the hoardings replaced by a simple metal barrier which allows full views of the site.

It was late afternoon so the sun stopped me from taking a photo with the main house in but it is worth admiring the living roof of the carport and I have a good excuse for taking another photo on another day.

Yellow barriers

The Hive (the new community centre being built on Ham Village Green) looks quite dramatic from Back Lane thanks to the ranks of yellow barriers and the framing yellow crane. There is also an early view of when the finished building will look like with the exposed wall on the right.

Full refurbishment at Mervyn Smith

It was last autumn that the roof gave way at Mervyn Smith forcing them to move quickly into an empty unit two doors away. Refurbishment on the original site while slow to start has picked up in recent weeks and it looks as though it will soon be ready for occupation.

Smaller window

I have been watching progress at 33 Ham Farm Road for months and while most of it has been hidden behind plastic sheeting some of it is visible, such as this section of the front of the house. This part is one of the few that has been retained from the original house and even this is changing as the window becomes smaller. 

It is still a little to early to tell but I think the new brick to glass ratio is wrong and the wall looks a bit forbidding.

New gate in Hazel Lane

I walk along Hazel Lane regularly, mostly to avoid traffic-heavy Petersham Road, and while it changes little it does change from time to time and this neat gate is one of those changes.