P 880 RYV on the pavement

A rather blatant case of pavement parking by P 880 RYV that all but blocks the way for the people that the pavement is meant for. My thanks to the guest photographer who sent me this.

Reston Lodge

There is an alleyway that runs alongside Reston Lodge, towards Meadow Close, from where you can get this view of the clean white front with the nice formal hedges.

Retro

The cyclists on the Bikeathon were well catered for at the Ham Common checkpoint where in addition to the mountains of bottled water they could also get champagne and Pimms from this great retro-look bar.

Start here

There is nothing quite like a large inflatable pink arch to indicate the start of a sponsored cycle ride.

OY05 EDX is not smart

This may be a SMART car but it is not smart to sneak in to the end of the parking bay at an angle so that the rear of the car sticks out into the road and you have to reverse into the traffic to get out.

Bikes

Ham Common was one of the start/finish points for The Twelfth London Bikeathon in aid of Leukaemia Research.

Boarded up

This empty property in Mead Road looks as though it has had some unwanted visitors and the doors and windows are boarded up to stop them getting in to the house.

Bridge foundations

The size of the foundations for the new, unwanted and unnecessary bridge from the tow path to Douglas Footpath suggest that it is going to be as big and unattractive as the one built by Ham House. Again, London's Arcadia is the villain here.

Useful signs gone

I complained earlier about Richmond Council putting up silly little black signs alongside useful large white ones and now the Council has solved the problem of having two signs by getting rid of the useful ones!

Infill

A planning application (08/1714/FUL) has been submitted to Richmond Council to build two four-bedroomed houses on an empty plot of land behind Mead Road but accessed via an unmade track off Lock Road.

Dutch style

Hardly typical Petersham, these new houses that are trying hard to look old are in a courtyard development next to the Fox and Duck.

M 108 LPJ blocks the road

Here M 108 LPJ has managed to both park up on the pavement and also completely blocked New Road.

Large field

More typical Ham Lands, a wide open space with no sign of anything urban or of other people. Sandy Lane is hidden behind the trees in the distance, The Copse is on the left, Melancholy Walk is to the right and Ham House is behind.

Building a Huf Haus

Each Huf Haus is prefabricated in Germany and then assembled on site, which means that it goes up very quickly, unlike with a typical British house where two walls are built slowly with block and brick.

That is why I do not have a picture of this Huf Haus in Petersham Road in a state of semi-construction; only this one with the main infrastructure complete and the work moved on to the interior features.

T 396 GPP looks abandoned

T 396 GPP is up on the pavement on the corner of Back Lane and Cleves Road which suggests that it has been abandoned rather than just badly parked.

Footbridge

The footbridge at Teddington is the prettiest approach to Ham.

Watching the hedge grow

I am not sure if watching a hedge grow is any more interesting that watching grass grow but if that's what you like doing then this bench in Sandy Lane is ideal! If not then I fail to see the point of it.

Greens

Just another example of why Ham Lands is such a great place to explore on foot.

Leaving Ham Lands

The southern border of Ham Lands is by Royal Park Gate as the unbroken wilderness that follows the river all the way from River Lane in Petersham finally gives way to the manicured grass of the Hawker Centre. The last part of this journey takes you around the small playground and on to the main cycle/footpath that runs through Royal Ham Gate to the two path.

Tall grass

Ham Lands is a mixed habitat and a random walk will throw up a few surprises, such as this area of tall grass in the corner of the field next to Ham Street car park.

Pleasure boat

This time of year several pleasure boats ply their trade on the Thames. Here a party passes under the footbridge to Teddington.

Selby House

Selby House is on the corner of Ham Common and Ham Street, just behind the little triangle of the common where St Thomas Aquinas sits.

Grasses

The grasses by Ham House provide a rich mix of colours and shades that change as the wind blows through it.

Boat slide

The small island by Teddington Lock offers a different view of the locks with the boat slide prominent on the left side and next to it, just behind the small boat, is the skiff lock. A pleasure boat is entering the barge lock on the right.

Approaching Croft Way

An exhilarating, confusing and rewarding exploration of Ham Lands finally offers this glimpse of the new flats in Croft Way and a path back home.

Parallel paths

This little used path is not far from the tow path and provides an alternative route between Teddington Lock and the area around Beaufort Road.

Almost finished

The finish touches are now being applied to 15 Ham Common and suddenly it all looks a lot better.

Leafy and quiet

Ham Lands is a joyous mix of habitats linked by paths that seem to exist for no reason other than to confuse. One of my favourite sections is just north of Teddington Lock where the dampness encourages different plants to give a more enclosed feeling. It is also one of the least travelled parts.

Bird bath

The communal gardens at Beaufort Court are very well kept by the residents and the central flowerbed is full of odd ornaments that include these flamingos drinking from the bird bath.

New offices

Strange things are happening in Croft Way. The offices on the ground floor of the new block are now being heavily promoted but there is no sign of any sales activity for the flats above them; even the limited information on the internet seems to have gone.

Teddington Lock's

The key dates on this plaque at Teddington Lock are timber lock constructed in 1810, first stone laid for the new lock on 3 June 1857, and lock open for traffic on 8 May 1958. A mystery in the superfluous apostrophe in "lock's" in the first line.

Repairs

Work has started on repairing the damage (caused by problems with the glue) to the mural on Ashburnham Road next to Ham Village Green. The top part is a new scene.

Small trees

Ham Lands has diverse vegetation which is best explored by walking through it. Here we have a clump of small trees whose trunks provide nice contrasting shapes and colours against the predominant greenery.

Locks

This is the traditional view of Teddington Lock from the Ham side looking towards Teddington. The main (barge) lock is on the right edge of the picture and, working right to left, the launch lock is in the middle behind the floating platform, the skiff lock is behind the small boat, and the slipway with rollers is next to the island.

A new path

The main section of Ham Lands, between Teddington Lock and Thames Young Mariners, is criss-crossed by paths that head in all sorts of directions for reasons that only they understand and when the bushes are in full growth they keep their destinations secret.

Lock garden

Teddington Lock has lots of interesting technology and constructions but it also has a well kept garden on the main section between the barge and launch locks.

Tree platform

A ramshackle platform has emerged in a tree by the river in the stretch of Ham Lands by Burnell Avenue.

A splash of colour

This is the best time of year for wandering aimlessly around Ham Lands as it is fresh, colourful and healthy. The blooming trees and bushes also further hide the urban parts of Ham making a walk to the pub feel like a walk through the countryside.

Richmond Regatta

Richmond Regatta takes place on the Thames between Eel Pie Island and Buccleuch Gardens and all the boats are assembled along the tow path upstream from River Lane.

Foundation stone

This plaque is on the side of the office at Teddington Lock and commemorates the building of the lock in 1857.

Launch lock

Launch lock is the middle of the three locks at Teddington. The improvement works there are almost complete but it is still fenced off at the moment.

Dead grass

Sections of the tow path were damaged by the machinery used to rebuild Ham Street car park and an attempt was made to make repairs. Sadly the new grass was not watered and it has not rained so it has died leaving an ugly brown strip.

A glimpse of Ormeley Lodge

The garden at Ormeley Lodge is large, but so are the hedges in it so for most of the time you cannot see the house at all.

Upper path

This is the upper of the two footpaths between Teddington Lock and Lower Ham Road in Kingston as it wanders south-east past Royal Park Gate.

St Andrew's Church

St Andrew's looks just like a village church should look like. Here it is viewed from the south side across a graveyard of leaning tombstones.

Rhino

Lurking in the wilderness at the back of Ormeley Lodge is a rather convincing rhinoceros just waiting to skewer any passing children.