Ham Photos is a growing archive of photos of Ham (at the meeting of Richmond upon Thames and Kingston upon Thames in south-west London), where I have lived since 1996. It captures the small changes that are easily missed and delights in the unusual, the unexpected and the unnoticed.
27 January 2008
Anchor
Murray Road does not lead anywhere so most people miss this piece of whimsy. Lucky for them that I was passing with a camera!
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art/design
New flats in Croft Way
It's January 2008 and surely these flats will be up for sale soon?! I quite fancy having a look around them to see if the interiors and layouts match the location, unlike the disappointing Morgans on Ham Common.
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construction/works
26 January 2008
Looking through a hole in the fence
A hole has recently appeared in the fence in Craig Road that forms the rear boundary of the Cassel Hospital site so, obviously I looked through it! Not sure what I was expecting to see but two old rubbish bins was not it.
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craig_road,
fences/walls/railings
Mock Tudor garage doors
Normally I am a fan of garage doors, even the lines of them in blocks of social housing, but I think that mock Tudor is taking things too far. Not only is there leaded glass in the windows but the door panels are also decorated.
The doors are salvaged, as far as I am concerned, by the mess that surrounds them, such as the cutely wonky drain pipes. Take a stroll down Sudbrook Gardens if you would like a closer look at these.
Another little green
This is another plot of land that has the appearance of having been left over when all the houses were finished. This one is in the Wates Estate, near Bank Willow (I think!), and is quite well hidden by the hedge that almost completely surrounds it. Again it seems to serve no purpose but that only adds to its charm.
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parks/spaces,
wates_estate
25 January 2008
Private gate to Northweald Lane
Like most new developments, Royal Park Gate is not designed for people. The roads are all dead-ends and, unlike the between-the-wars housing nearby, there are no alleyways between them. This means that to get anywhere you have to walk a reasonable distance to one of the exits. The residents at the far end of Northweald Lane did not like this so they constructed a gate that gives them access to the open land by the river. Of course they do not want other people to take advantage of this short cut so the gate is locked. They also planted the conifers that now obscure Northweald Lane from passers by. I'm glad that I don't live there!
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doors/gates/windows,
royal_park_gate
Behind the shops
The shops in Ashburnham Road, at the river end, back on to Ferrymoor and they look like the backs of shops usually do with a general air of dereliction and some unsightly containers.
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ashburnham_rd,
shops
Another brick in the wall
Side window at Avenue Lodge Cottage
23 January 2008
Slow start in Great South Avenue
Two weeks into the works in Great South Avenue, as part of the London Arcadia project, and the only sign of anything being done is that some new fencing has arrived. The notice on the top asks people not to steal the fencing. We'll see what happens!
22 January 2008
Little green in Royal Park Gate
This little green on Northweald Lane, next to the cycle path, gives the appearance of filling up a bit of unused space after all the houses were built. It is not unattractive but serves no real purpose. I think that it would be a good place to have some public art, such as the statue in Parkleys.
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parks/spaces,
royal_park_gate
21 January 2008
Ham, Surrey, Post Office
The former Post Office is in Petersham Road, just north of Ham Common. I wanted to take a picture of this sign earlier in the year but, as you can probably guess, the wisteria obscures it for most of the year - which I think is a shame.
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petersham,
petersham_rd,
signs/posts
20 January 2008
Landscaping in Royal Park Gate
One of the reasons that Royal Park Gate feels such a part of Ham to me is that, like the other developments (Parkleys, Wates, etc.) , the landscaping is an integral part of the design. This is particularly true along the cycle route that goes through the middle of the development.
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plants/gardens,
royal_park_gate
19 January 2008
Garages in Craig Road
The between-the-wars housing in Ham has separate garages, like these in Craig Road that have a certain industrial charm about them.
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craig_road,
doors/gates/windows,
garages/sheds
18 January 2008
Orchard Cottage
17 January 2008
16 January 2008
Cats in the window
New Road is one of my vary favourite roads to walk along as it is the most attractive way to approach, or leave, Ham Common, and I walk to/from Ham Common rather a lot! This collection of cats is in the window is one of the things to look out for.
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art/design,
new_road
15 January 2008
Royal Park Gate is part of Ham
There are various views on where the boundaries of Ham are and, as this is my blog, I get to choose what to include and what to exclude from Ham Photos. The Google Earth image on the top right shows the boundaries that I am using. The River Thames and Richmond Park are not disputed, the question is over the southern border. My view is that the border of Ham is the Hawker Centre as it is a clear area of open space between Ham and North Kingston. This means that the newish development of Royal Park Gate, built around 1996, is included in Ham as far as I am concerned. This picture shows the approach to Royal Ham Gate as you walk across Ham Lands from Dysart Avenue. The houses that you can see here are in Biggin Hill Close.
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royal_park_gate
14 January 2008
Front garden at Magnolia Cottage
I love the mix of plants in the front garden of Magnolia Cottage in New Road. There are different shades of green, different shapes and different heights, all of which adds interest to what is quite a small area. The odd splash of colour and the backdrop of the painted brick wall help too.
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new_road,
plants/gardens
13 January 2008
A close-up of the Denes
I have posted a few pictures of the Denes over the last year or so as it was being built but now that it is finished I am able to walk around and take some close-up shots. I took this one to show the nice, if not very original, combination of brickwork, rendering, railings and window frames. Sadly these fine features are let down by the large expanse of wood in the middle of the building. These are the doors to, I presume, store rooms (there is separate storage for bins and bicycles). The wood is far too bright for the rest of the building and your eye is really drawn to the doors as you approach the building, rather than to the nice detail elese where or even to the entrance. The wood used across the top of the doors is far nicer.
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craig_road,
doors/gates/windows,
the_denes
12 January 2008
White walls, red door, blue pots, green plants
It's the contrasts that I like here. The house, in New Road, is a typical cottage for the area, nothing special, but they have made the most of its appearance by painting it a bright white and contrasting this with a luscious red front door and a few decorative pots and plants.
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doors/gates/windows,
new_road,
plants/gardens
8 January 2008
Nice house in Ham Farm Road
Ham Farm Road has a lot going for it; it faces Ham Common Woods, the road goes nowhere so there is little traffic and it has a nice collection of individually designed houses. The windows and doors of this one are a great colour too.
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ham_farm_road
Front gate at Ormeley Lodge
The beauty of the iron work on the front gate at Ormeley Lodge speaks for itself. I took a picture of the house last year.
Hidden house
At the cul-de-sac where Parkleys joins Ham Farm Road there is this old house which seems a little out of place surrounded by the much newer houses. Finding it was a pleasant surprise.
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ham_farm_road,
modern_houses,
parkleys
Nice garden in Ham Farm Road
I quite like the house too but it's the garden that I really like. The circular brick path to the front door is so cool.
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ham_farm_road,
plants/gardens
House under threat in Ham Farm Road
There is a planning application to demolish this house and to replace it with two houses and some flats.
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ham_farm_road
Winter tree
When walking along Ham Gate Avenue I was struck by this tree. I like the strong contrast with the blue January sky and the way that the branches curl all over the place as if they don't know where to go.
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ham_gate_avenue,
plants/gardens,
trees
Ham Gate Avenue
Ham Gate Avenue is a straight route between Ham Common and Richmond Park (Ham Gate). The wild part of Ham Common, sometimes called Ham Common Woods, is all along the south side (on the right here) and also on part of the north side towards the park.
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ham_gate_avenue,
paths/roads
5 January 2008
Peter Vahl's bench
There are far too few benches along the tow path, particularly between Ham House and River Lane. This one is in memory of Peter Vahl and I guess the flowers have been placed there in his memory too.
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seats/benches,
towpath
Sunken boat
These moorings immediately south of Teddington Lock are fairly new. There are usually several boats here but this is the first time that I've seen one that has sunk.
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boats,
rivers/ponds/water,
the_thames
Tow path south of Teddington Lock
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paths/roads,
rivers/ponds/water,
the_thames,
towpath
Ramp between the river paths
1 January 2008
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