Waiting for a garden

I have been following the current phase of work to 31 Ham Farm Road for almost four years (!) and they finally seem to be drawing to a close. Most of the front garden has given way to a hard surface for vehicles  with little space left for vegetation.

The small strip in front of the low wall is actually part of Ham Common and so I presume that this will be replanted as will the small strip of ground the other side of the wall where one tree stands as a reminder of the former garden.

Sandy Lane foundations

Sandy Lane has seen a lot of change in recent years as houses in large plots have been extended or even, as in this case, demolished to make even larger properties.

Annoyingly there is a green narrow mesh screen across the front of the property which my camera gets confused by, focusing on that rather than the works behind, and so all I could get this time was the view from one edge.

Restored cap

When I last posted a picture of a former gate to Beaufort House in Ham Street the work on the pillar on the left looked unfinished and the cap had not been replaced. A month later and it looks completed. 

You cannot tell from here that the brick pillar has been worked on and the cap is back in place. It is only the new slab that suggests that anything has changed.

Battered bollard

It is only a week or so since I noted the new concrete bollards on the bend of Church Road, by the south-east entrance to Ham Common Woods, and one of them has taken a hit already.

Behind Ham Parade

The service road behind the west side of Ham Parade (possibly Warners Lane but sources are inconsistent on that, e.g. it is not named on Ordnance Survey maps) has been the scene of much building over the years  so that it looks something of a mess, so unlike the frontages.

This current work is at the south end and it is too early to tell if it is an extension to a Ham Parade unit or a  separate building.

 

Close to the new works is this building which is a separate habitable one bedroom dwelling. The address for the planning application is 311A Richmond Road despite it facing on to the service road.

Ivy House refreshed

A couple of weeks ago I noted that Ivy House on Upper Ham Road was being repointed and now that the work has finished I am rather impressed. 

At this distance it is hard to see that anything has changed, though the whiteness of the windows suggests that they may  have been repainted not long ago, and it is only when you get closer that the newness of some of the pointing can be seen.

The Hive revealed

For many months the lower part of The Hive on Ham Village Green has been hidden behind boards so I was delighted to find it finally revealed. And the ground floor makes a big difference as it explains why there is a grey arch on the first floor, which had looked out of place.

The Hive sits very comfortably in its Village Green setting and is a welcome addition to the area.

Celebrating Wimbledon

This hedge at the Common end of Ham Street is something of a local landmark and I have posted a picture of it before when the two spheres became Christmas puddings. Their current transformation into tennis balls is stylistically simple but technically difficult as the two curvilinear ovals on each sphere have to be approximately the same size for the effect to work properly.

It is always good to see people making an effort like this to brighten the area even if all it takes is a little bit of white tape.

On entering Petersham Lodge Woods

It is easy to overlook Petersham Lodge Woods as River Lane and the towpath let you pass easily but it is worth making the effort to step inside and this is the serene view you get on entering from River Lane,