Extensive work on Hand and Flower

The coming soon poster for The Hand and Flower says "beautiful refurbishment underway" and the initial signs are good. When the pub was last refurbished in 2022 that amounted to little more than a fresh coat of paint and it quickly looked shabby, so it is good to see them doing the job properly and going back to the brick.

Draining the lock

The Launch Lock at Teddington Lock is still in the middle of some serious reconstruction work, as it has been since the end of last year, and there is little sign of the work ending any time soon. I wanted to post an update and with everything looking much the same I used the excuse of the lock being drained through the pipe on the left.

Former cricket pavilion

We learned a lot about the history of Ham Polo Club and of their current site on the Ham United Group (HUG) Annual Architectural Tour 2026, including that the section of the their ground nearest the river, and behind their club house, used to be a cricket ground and this rather charming pavilion dates from those days.

New entrance to Little Orchard

The is the new entrance to the rebuilt Little Cottage from Bute Avenue. While not remarkable in itself it is markedly different from the previous entrance which was a gate with railings set back from the road with hedges on either side.

The new solid gate and the lack of greenery in front of the wall makes this a more austere and less welcoming entrance.

Cherry Garden at Ham House

I have posted quite a few pictures of the Cherry Garden at Ham House over the years but never from this angle before, not that I really need an excuse to post another one.

SOLAR sign

Save Our Lands and River (SOLAR) have been campaigning against Thames Water's TDRA (Teddington Direct River Abstraction) scheme for a couple of years and have organised and participated in many events to spread their message. This sign comes from their latest one.

Polo player

We were given a tour of all of the facilities at Ham Polo Club on the Ham United Group (HUG) Annual Architectural Tour 2026 but we skipped this statue so I have no idea who this is or even if it is somebody specific.

Its placement is rather out of the way and I hope that it about to be moved somewhere more prominent, as it deserves.

Kitchen Garden border

While the main beds in the Kitchen Garden at Ham House deservedly attract the most attention the border along the dividing wall is also well worth paying some attention to.

Ham Polo Club canopy

This is a closer look at the canopy on top of the Ham Polo Club pavilion. I took this picture simply because I like the construction.

[This is one of the pictures that I took on the Ham United Group (HUG) Annual Architectural Tour 2026]