The Denes is now finished

The Denes in Craig Road has taken quite a while to finish but it is finally there apart from some minor works. Many of the flats in the block behind these town-houses are now occupied.

Pond House on Ham Common

Pond House, not surprisingly, looks towards the pond on Ham Common. It is one of a pair of similar houses  though they have had different extensions.

Christmas decorations in Stretton Road

These Christmas decorations can be found in Stretton Road, near to the junction with Woodville Road.

Watergate

Watergate is one of the houses on Ham Common near the junction with Ham Street.

Path to Stretton Road

Most of the between-the-wars housing in Ham has walkways that give access to the rear of the properties and provide shortcuts between the roads. This one is between Ham Street and Stretton Road.

X 762 HGH on the pavement

X 762 HGH is parked on the pavement at the front and back.

The Manor House

The Manor House is on the corner of Ham Street and Sandy Lane.

St Thomas Aquinas Church

St Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church has a commanding position on the junction of Ham Common and Ham Street. It makes the most of this with its bright white coat that is clearly visible from the other side of the Common.

News Plus has closed

News Plus was one of the shops in Ham Street, opposite Grey Court School, but has recently closed.

Ham Pond

I've taken quite a few pictures of Ham Pond over the last year or so but I think that this is the only one from this angle, looking towards Lock Road.

P 951 KHK

P 951 KHK is clearly parked on the zig-zag zone for the pedestrian crossing. It's there for safety so anybody who parks there, particularly in a large vehicle, is being very inconsiderate.

Hatch End on Ham Street

Hatch End is hard to find and harder to see. It is accessed via an alley off Ham Street (it's next to School Cottage) and is surrounded by high fences. I had no idea what it looked like until I saw this photo! All you can see from outside is the old roof so the clean modern look is bit of a surprise.

Flax Cottage on Ham Common

I am sure that I have taken other pictures of Flax Cottage on Ham Common but this one shows the Winter Jasmine (I think that's what it is!) off nicely.

School Cottage on Ham Street

School Cottage on Ham Street is hidden behind other buildings on Ham Street and is accessed via an alley way.

Progress at 15 Ham Common

Good progress is being made on the new house at 15 Ham Common. The brickwork is very much in keeping with the local houses (unlike the brash Forbes House next door) and this looks as though it will be a worthy addition to the area.

Ducks swimming, gulls standing

It's a warmer day today but there is still some ice on Ham Pond for the gulls to stand on while the ducks swim on the unfrozen part.

Fog on Ham Common

A foggy day in December. The people in the middle of the picture are walking along the path that crosses Ham Common from east to west.

Christmas Wreath on Upper Ham Road

I quite like this door anyway but the Christmas wreath adds a nice seasonal touch.

G 222 APB

G 222 APB is parked dangerously where 2 lanes merge into 1, hence the double yellow lines, and the grey car in front of it has taken the opportunity created by this to double park.

Signs on Ham Gate

These signs are on one of the gate posts at Ham Gate.

War Memorial

This War Memorial is in the grounds of St Andrew's Church.

Ham Gate

Ham is bounded on the east by Richmond Park. Ham Gate on, er, Ham Gate Avenue is one of the main gates into the park.

St Andrew's Church

This is St Andrew's Church in Church Road viewed from the west across Ham Common.

In the heart of Ham Common

This is in the heart of the wildest part of Ham Common that lies between Church Road and Ham Gate Avenue.

Trees on Ham Common

This is the part of Ham Common that lies between Ham Farm Road and Church Road.

New houses in Ham Farm Road?

These are the elevation drawings for a proposed redevelopment of 6 Ham Farm Road.

Merry Christmas from Rowleys

Rowleys, the bakers, has the most prominent Christmas decorations on Ham Parade.

Petersham Lodge Woods

This view of Petersham Lodge Woods is taken from the narrow, and usually very wet, path behind the German School.

Great South Avenue will be closed

There was a recent consultation on the planting in Great South Avenue (from Ham Common to Sandy Lane) which said lots about all the new plants but nothing about having to close this popular path for three months!!

Gate in the fence

One of my favourite paths in Ham Lands, Douglas Footpath, goes behind the German School to the river. Along this path is the remains of an old gate to what was the Douglas House estate.

Frost on the common

The sun was bright at midday but it was still cold and there was plenty of frost on the part of the shady parts of the common.

Modern part of the German School

While the original part of the German School is Douglas House, the largest part is a modern building. This is the entrance.

Boat

Ham has a long border with the Thames that, broadly, flows north at this point. There are various views on where the boundaries of Ham are but as far as this blog is concerned the southern border is the Hawker Centre sports ground and the northern border is River Lane. Their are slip ways to the river on both borders and this boat is moored at the southern one.

Silver Birches

These three silver birch trees, looking stark and architectural in the December sun, are in Mornington Walk.

Concrete blocks

These concrete blocks are part of the decoration of the flats in Parkleys.

Please keep to soil track

This sign is on the bridle path on the south side of Ham Gate Avenue.

Gray Court in Parkleys

This shot of Gray Court is taken from the corner of Barnfield Avenue and Parkleys and shows both the architecture and the landscaping of the Parkleys development.

In front of Ham House

This is the open space in front of Ham House. The path in the middle of the picture leads towards the new footbridge to the tow path.

A new sign for Ham Common (Woods), as pointless as the rest

Arrrrrgh! The plague of new black signs continues. This one duplicates one that is already there, renames this part of Ham Common to Ham Common Woods and is positioned such that it cannot be easily seen by people on foot, only by people on horse and, presumably, by horses.

Path next to Ham House

On the right is the wall of the garden at Ham House, on the left is Ham Polo and straight ahead is a part of Ham Lands called The Copse.

A really pointless sign in Ham Lands

How could anybody think that it was a good idea to put a small black sign that says simply "Ham Lands - Local Nature Reserve" immediately below a large white sign that says the same thing and a lot more too?

Christmas in Lammas Road

This house in Lammas Road is famous for its OTT Christmas Decorations, only a few of which are in this picture.

A maze of paths through the woods

The wild woody part of Ham Lands immediately north of Thames Young Mariners has a maze of paths through the trees. It is very easy to lose all sense of direction and so emerge from the woods nowhere near where you thought that you were.

Lock Keeper's house at Teddington Lock

This is the larger of the two buildings at Teddington Lock and it is a fine example of Victorian architecture.

Backhaus German shops

The German School attracts sufficient Germans to the area for there to be a successful German shop in the parade in Ashburnham Road by St Richard church. There is now a second Backhaus a few doors away which sells an impressive range of breads.

Trees

These trees are by the upper footpath just south of Teddington Lock.

Destruction in Ham Lands

Ham Lands, although it is a contiguous area of open space, has several distinct parts and the part that I like the most is that immediately north of Thames Young Mariners, and I like it because it is the most wild part. Therfore I consider it an act of wanton destruction to cut this wide swathe through it, just to recreate a historical view from Richmond Hill.

Thames Conservancy Lower Limit

In 1909 the Thames Conservancy Lower Limit was deemed important enough to mark with this post.

Ham Lands, Local Nature Reserve

This sign about Ham Lands is just off Riverside Drive, by the junction with Ashburnham Road.

Down by the river

This is the riverside between Teddington Lock and Thames Young Mariners and this part floods at high-tide.