Langham House Close

Langham House Close is a private development behind Langham House on Ham Common and was built in the late 50s in the modern style of the time. Because it is private and I (generally) respect privacy I have not featured it before but it was part of Open House London and that gave me the chance to go in and look.

The external view of the block closest to Ham Common is, in my opinion, rather lovely with crisp, neat straight lines, contrasting bricks and concrete, and sympathetic landscape.

There are a few blocks in the development and they are well spaced out with landscaping between them. I like the mound too as I think that variations in height are as important as variations in shape and colour.

The brick and concrete theme continues inside the flats too, which must have been a brave statement at the time. A lot of attention was paid to the details of the design as shown by the opening in the wall and the unusual shape of the mantelpiece.

FD03 GFG parks in a Bus Stop

I was waiting for a 65 to Richmond at Bus Stop J on Ham Parade when FD03 GFG pulled up and parked in the stop to use the cash machine. There were plenty of parking spaces on both sides of the road but she thought that was too far to walk and would rather block the buses instead.

Large plant on Meadlands Drive

Walking West along Meadlands Drive it is hard to miss this large leafy plant that has consumed most of the front garden of one of the houses set back from the road in a corner of a half-square. I like things like this for several reasons, not least because they break up the long stretch of uniform brick.

Sad pub

Two years after I first posted a picture of the boarded-up Royal Oak it is still standing sadly waiting for a new owner to care for it.

I do not expect it to become a pub again, which is a shame, but the plans to convert it to a house appear to have ended too and the new "All Enquiries" signs have a touch of desperation about them.

Tidy house on Ham Street

I have always liked this house on the upper end of Ham Street, it is between Sandy Lane and Riverside Drive. It has recently been freshened up and now looks very attractive. It has a lot of nice details, such as the heart shapes cut in to the shutters, without being too fussy.