Refresh for The Bakehouse

When I took a photograph of The Bakehouse on Petersham Road back in February I commented that it needed some TLC and it is good to see that it has now had some.

Approaching Petersham Nurseries

Petersham Nurseries is easily approachable on foot with many footpaths crossing nearby but if you want to get there by car then the only way is along a narrow track off the narrowest part of Petersham Road. This sign shows that you are heading the right way despite first appearances.

Old logs

These old logs in the midst of Petersham Lodge Woods are rotting slowly and providing a good home to some fungi while doing so.

In memory of Andrew Hines

It is good to see a new bench on the tow path, this one is by Petersham Lodge Woods, as there are far too few and many of them are in terrible condition. However, it is sad that they are normally in memory of somebody who has died and even sadder when that person was as young as Andrew Hines 1970 - 2007.

Old gate

While some people seem determined to make Ham Lands as well ordered as the gardens at Versaiiles I prefer to see battered old gates like this one that give evidence to a more rural past.

Brilliant Autumn

This autumn was exceptionally colourful (something to do with a brief frost in September apparently) but this is probably my last photograph of brilliant leaves as the cold and the wind have turned almost all of the them brown and scattered them on the ground.

Water under the bridge

The new bridge was built on the path by Ham House to the tow path so that people could still use the path at high tide, but I still think that it is an ugly monstrosity and I would much rather that the path was unusable for a few hours (at most) a month. There are other paths and what is the point of getting to the tow path at high tide as most of that is flooded anyway.

Ormeley Lodge through the trees

Ormeley Lodge, on Ham Gate Avenue, looks more enticing and mysterious when viewed from behind the live of trees on the other side of the road.

High tide by Ham House

There is (sadly) much less flooding in the area in front of Ham House now that a sluice gate has been installed on the channel to the river, but sometimes the tide is high enough for long enough for the river to reclaim familiar territory.

Steel serpent

It is not uncommon to see metal ties being used to keep old walls upright and these often have an "X" or "S" at the end to hold the way. Here the "S" has been simply decorated to give the appearance of a serpent.

Bridle path from Richmond Park

This bridle path runs along the north side of Ham Common Woods from Richmond Park to Ham Common, It follows Ham Gate Avenue but is just far enough away from the road to be hidden most of the time.

Red ivy

It is almost worth having ivy growing on your house just to have it look like this for a brief period each year. This house is on Ham Street and is part of the Ham House estate.

Carpet Library closed

The Carpet Library on Ham Parade has suddenly closed and been boarded up in a rather ugly way. There are now three unoccupied units on the parade.

Autumn colours

For just a brief period the leaves are green, yellow and pink at the same time, looking rather like the Liberty wallpaper that I had in my last house.

New pharmacy, old wool shop

The pharmacy on Ham Parade used to occupy both of these units but now it has been completely refurbished (and very well too) and occupies just the one on the left, which now goes further back than it used to so the shop is about the same size as it was when it was in both units. There is a new sign for the new shop and the one which used to cover both units has been removed revealing that sometime in the past the shop on the right was Tudor Wool Shop.

Thriving ivy

I like the way that the ivy has engulfed this house on the north side of Ham Common and part of me hopes that it has climbed down the chimney and taken over the inside too.

Red

Autumn is bringing splashes of vibrant colour to the area, such as this wall in Craig Road.

Old Malt House garden

The Old Malt House, on the corner of Ham Street and Lock Road, has a narrow front garden but it is presented wonderfully with flowers and bushes next to the white wall of the house and larger shrubs and trees along the front border (facing Lock Road).

Old Malt House garden

The Old Malt House, on the corner of Ham Street and Lock Road, has a narrow front garden but it is presented wonderfully with flowers and bushes next to the white wall of the house and larger shrubs and trees along the front border (facing Lock Road).

Working on Cranmer Court

Ham Parade is suddenly changing quite a bit (more photos to follow!). Extensive works, presumably to the windows, have started at Cranmer Court, which forms the south-east section of the parade.

Coloured ivy

I find large parts of the Wates Estate confusing, due to the way that the roads bend and are linked by paths, so it was pure luck finding this striped ivy where Kingfisher Drive, Hardwicke Road and Simpson Road collide in a square of mature trees.

Autumn cut

I dare say that there could be reasons for the wholesale cutting of the many grass areas in Ham Lands but I find the result an ugly contrast to the tall flowering grasses that were there before. This now barren area lies between Melancholy Walk and The Copse.

Patience is rewarded

I have taken two other pictures of this modern house in Ham Farm Road over the last eighteen months but this is the first time that there has not been a car outside so I am able to show the whole house for the first time. It was worth the wait.

Autumn tree

The weather is rather mixed at the moment but occasionally we get bright clear days with low sunlight that brings trees like this into sharp relief.

Adamski

One of the houses in Petersham Road is having a large extension built and the whole of the top of the house is covered in scaffolding and plastic sheeting, but what caught my eye was the builders' bright modern sign that proclaims, "Polish Power, German Quality".

Parkleys in Autumn

The landscaping at Parkleys is attractive all year and changes with the seasons to offer new delights. Here Pope Court is hiding behind the colourful autumn foliage.

Red leaves

Autumn is a great time to burrow your way deep into Ham Lands to witness the dramatic colours. This hard-to-reach spot is just north of the lake at Thames Young Mariners.

High tide line

It is bit of a scramble to get there but in the woods between the river and Petersham and Ham Sea Scouts the high tide line is clearly marked by the vegetation abandoned by the retreating tide.

The tidal nature of Ham Lands adds immensely to its interest as the ebb and flow of the water brings changes like this and also changes the typography of the area as popular paths are submerged and resurface.