Walking through Ham Lands

Ham Lands is a wonderful place to walk if you want to forget that you live in a city as it is a large tract of (mostly) unmanaged wilderness. The least managed, and therefore the most attractive, section is the North West corner where is touches the Thames on two sides. Paths like this take you to nowhere in particular, which is exactly where you want to go.

Plaque at Ormeley Lodge

This small metal plaque sits discreetly on the front wall of Ormeley Lodge. I have no idea what it means but the only information that it contains is "Westminster" and "1717", both of which are now some distance away.

Rhino at Ormeley Lodge

No visit to the garden at Ormeley Lodge is complete with hunting for the rhino hiding in the long grass and wild flowers of the orchard.

Rear garden at Ormeley Lodge

Immediately to the rear of Ormeley Lodge is a formal lawn with border and if you brave the lion guarding the path through the hedge you can escape to the wonderful orchard where wild flowers cavort in delight at their freedom.

Petersham House and garden room

The garden room at Petersham House is blatantly modern and its aged pretensions fool nobody, but it works very well despite all that.

Path at Ormeley Lodge

The beauty of the garden at Ormeley Lodge is that it is various very different sections and to move between them you travel along enchanting paths like this one.

Cassel Garden Party, 11 July 2009

This year's Cassel Garden Party will be on Saturday 11 July, as this reused sign on the front of the hospital announced to everybody passing along the South side of Ham Common.

Orchard at Ormeley Lodge

My favourite part of the garden at Ormeley Lodge is the large orchard at the back. Wild flowers decorate the spaces between the sparsely planted trees, paths weave past them so that you can meander through the orchard just like a gentle breeze does, and a trim hedge around the edge keeps everything in proper order.

Vegetable garden at Petersham House

The vegetable garden at Petersham House has much to recommend it, including the brick wall and path, the large pots and the clutter of tools, canes and sheds that show you that this is very much a working garden.

Ormeley Lodge caravan

One of the many things to like about the garden at Ormeley Lodge is the quirky objects secreted throughout it, such as this Gypsy caravan.