Letting the flowers grow in Sudbrook Lane

I am sharing a lot of photos of wild flowers at the moment because there are lots of them around and I like to see them. The growing number of plots of wild flowers across Ham is very welcome and enlivens many of my regular walks, such as this one along Sudbrook Lane.

A noticeable improvement

This is another one of those little changes that were significant enough to get my attention as I walked along Dukes Avenue, as I do almost every day at the moment. The thing that I noticed first was the new low wall with the trim railings above. Then I noticed the rest of the garden and that was neat too.

The garden is very simple with a rectangular lawn and a straight path and that simplicity is a large part of its charm. The rest comes from the slight flourish of the railings that gets the mood of the house just right.

Garages off Petersham Road

It is always a pleasure, to me at least, to discover some more garages and Ham is blessed with lots of enclaves where they hide waiting for me to find them. These are in one of the short lanes that lead off Petersham Road towards small collections of infill houses.

These lanes are, I presume, all private and while that is not always a deterrent to my explorations it is sufficient unless there is something obvious to tempt me down them.

333 Petersham Road

A lot of houses in Petersham Road seem to have had substantial make-overs in the last couple of years, more so than any other road I believe, and many of them have appeared on the housing market at what I consider quite high prices when you consider the business and proximity of the main road.

One such property is 333 Petersham Road which is currently on the market for almost £1.4m. But this is a blog about Ham, not house prices, and I chose to to show a picture of this one because it looks very neat and tidy, if a little cold. Some flowers would fix that.

Beaufort House in Ham Street

Beaufort House in Ham Street is one of several grand buildings that help to give Ham some of its distinctive colour. It sits proudly on Ham Street facing towards Sandy Lane and it was as I was walking down Sandy Lane that this view struck me.

I had seen Beaufort House many many times before but this time the framing of the house by the trees in full leaf appealed to me strongly and so I decided to share it.

Stafford Cottages on top form

I have posted a few pictures of Stafford Cottages (next to the New Inn on Ham Common) over the years and I will continue to do so for as long as it looks as good as this.

Changes at the Ham Institute

The Ham Institute in New Road has always felt something of an anomaly being different in style and size from the rest of the road that is dominated by small cottages (and one very ugly block of flats). Now it is being turned back into a private residence and the first step was to remove the unsightly box extension on one side. With that gone signs of previous doors and windows can be seen in the exposed wall.

The changing face of Ashburnham Road

The little parade of shops in Ashburnham Road, opposite the Library, as gone through several changes in recent years and while I have captured some of the comings and goings of the shops I thought it would be interesting to take a panorama of all of them that I can then use to make comparisons later on.

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago and already things have changed. The unit in the centre with the whitewashed windows has now opened as a barbers.

New wall at Montrose House

The replacement wall at the front of Montrose House was well worth the wait. It is the same height as the previous wall but looks fairly different, which is understandable given that they had to use different bricks. I like the way that the varied shades have been mixed and the way that the wall has been topped.

The success of the wall can be judged by how well it sets off Montrose House.

Greystones in Sudbrook Lane

I like to stroll along Sudbrook Lane fairly regularly because of the variety of houses there which means that there are lots of different things to see. Things like the endearing and most sign that announces the presence of Greystones.

The house, garden and even the front gate live up to the promise of the sign. There is nothing fussy here and plenty to enjoy.

Roses in Dukes Avenue

Dukes Avenue is one of the roads that I walk along most often, it is now one of my routes to work, and so I almost take it for granted and pay it little attention. This garden had other ideas and the large bright roses grabbed my attention and brought me to a stop so that I could appreciate them properly.

I also like the front gate that has a delicate mix of simplicity, decoration and period charm.

Secluded garden in Ham Street

The row of white cottages in Ham Street are a distinctive and well-known feature of Ham but even they have some secrets. I must have walked past this cottage dozens if not hundreds of times and had never noticed the pretty tiles and the ornate bench in the front garden before. It was worth the wait.

Resting teddy bear

It was hard to resist this teddy bear so I didn't. I found it in Clifford Road and I was as pleased to find it as it seemed to be to see me.

Uncovering a house in Back Lane

For as long as I can remember this house in Back Lane has hidden behind a wooden trellis and now it has the confidence to show itself to the world. Lots of other changes have been made to the house and it seems to be preparing itself for a new lease of life.