Lodge Brothers on Ham Parade

I suppose that having another funeral directors in the area is better than having an empty shop but that is a marginal choice. These are not the sort of places that you go to very often so they do little to improve the vitality of the Parade and the (understandably) bland frontage does nothing to brighten the look of the Parade either.

Removing trees in Dysart Avenue

Due to the vagaries of political boundaries Dysart Avenue finds itself in Kingston upon Thames at the moment so it is the Council there that is responsible for the loss of three trees in Dysart Avenue. In addition to the one in the foreground you can just about see another stump beyond the first two intact trees.

The three trees removed were the largest so they may have been causing some sort of problem. I just hope that they are replaced.

Richmond Kitchens has arrived

It has taken quite a while to come but now that it is here Richmond Kitchens is making quite an impact visually. Sadly that is proving hard to capture on camera because the glass is so reflective; that's why I took a photo at night.

A modest extension

This seems to be quite a modest extension to a reasonably large house but it is surprising what difference a couple of metres can make.

This is on Horsely Drive next to the junction with Manston Grove and the owner may have got the idea from the house on the other side of the road (on the left) that did a similar extension a few years ago.

More a rebuild that a refresh

The conversion of the two properties at the start of Upper Ham Road back into cottages is clearly a massive job. There is nothing left of the ground floor of this section and the boarding across the rest of the ground floor and part of the upper floor suggests that there are substantial works on the rest of the building. It will be interesting to see what the finished result looks like.

Extensions in Mead Road

From the front, Mead Road looks like all of its neighbours but going behind it reveals a history of extensions and infilling. The design and materials are very different, from the back these look like modern houses.

New gate in Ham Street

A while ago I posted a picture of the work in progress of the gate into Palm Centre from Ham Street and now that it is finished it looks like a job very well done. The gate itself is firmly built and the black colour helps it to hide while the wall has been neatly rebuilt to accommodate it.

A new house in Bainbridge Close

The boarding had been there for a while and now a house has started to appear behind it. This is in Bainbridge Close just as it branches off Latchmere Close. It is an unusually shaped plot with several trees in it which may be why it took so long for something to be built there.

From what can be seen so far, it is a far more handsome property than Latchmere Lodge which occupies the part of the site that fronts on to Church Road.

Remembering Royal Oak

What was Royal Oak is now Ham Village Centre (HVC). It is good to see the building back in use and that the people behind HVC are keen on local history. As part of this the pub sign has been kept and has been given a prominent place in the courtyard garden.

Weathervane off Lock Road

I hope that this is a new weathervane otherwise I am not sure how I missed it before.

It is on a shed behind a house in Lock Road and can be seen from the lane that leads to the surgery and then the pumping station.

Something is happening along the towpath

Two areas in the verge between the upper and lower paths by Royal Park Gate have been cleared in preparation for something. It could be benches and it could be flowers. We will see.

The latest Huf Haus rises

I live close to Ham Farm Road and at the moment I am walking along there often to check on progress on the third Huf Haus in the area. It is now poking boldly over the boarding and already it looks comfortable in its surroundings.

Looking the other way, from Parkleys, it can be seen how the new house has been sited to fit in around the existing trees which will help to preserve the character of the area.

Converting shops to cottages

The shops at the North-West end of Ham Parade have featured several times in the years that I have been recording changes in the area because the shops there have always struggled due to their being somewhat separated from the other shops and getting far fewer passers-by as a result.

Now the owner of the properties has conceded defeat that the two shops are becoming two cottages, which I presume is an euphemism for small houses.

A tidy house in Petersham

I presume that the postal address of this house is in Meadow Close but I took the picture from the end of Ashfield Close so it could be there.

Clearly it has been repainted recently and that is what caught my attention. The setting with the trees just made things better. 

An exuberance of signs

As some of these signs explain, Bainbridge Close (off Latchmere Close/Church Road) is a private road and it is also gated so the for sale signs have to cluster outside making a colourful mess.

Ham Pumping Station

For some reason the narrow footpath that goes behind the North-West side of Mead Road has been cleared for the first time in my memory and that has opened up new perspectives on Ham Pumping Station.

This is the East end of the site with Redknap House in Cleves Road in the background.

The back of the main building looks as marvellously industrial as it should with its functional brick wall, battered doors and weathered vents. I also love the little sign on the door which reads, "Supply Authority's Metering".

Fitting in

I have recently made some derogatory comments about one new wall in Petersham Road for not following the style of the street and I thought that I would balance it with one that has.

This wall is clearly brand new so the colour does not yet match the weathered brick of the rest of the street but the semi-circular shapes are exactly right.