Hidden box

This shabby, yet handsome, box hides an electricity substation. The site itself is also well hidden as it lies on a little used track that runs from Lawrence Road to Lock Road.

A large extension in Hardwicke Road

Yet another extension, this time in the Wates Estate on the corner of Hardwicke Road and Simpson Road. While it is far too early to judge what visual impact the substantial development will have on the area it is clear that it is being done with some thought.

The reason for taking this picture early in the process was to show the brickwork on the front of the extension which has the grey bricks at the bottom of the wall laid so that they for triangular projections from the wall. I like little touches like that as they can enliven the ordinary to make it special.

Update: Since taking this photo, on a further walk past to check on progress I had a long and useful conversation with the owner. I admire what he is trying to do and hope that the finished result lives up to that aspiration.

Attractive garden in Lock Road

I think I have pointed out a few gardens that I do not like recently, mostly because there is nothing left other than a driveway, so it is good to redress the balance by showing something nice.

This garden in Lock Road is simple and does everything right. Most of the garden is left to vegetation and while there is a lot of lawn there are also several things to break the monotony of grass. The crooked tree by the front door being just one example.

I also like the stained glass in the door and the small window next to it.

Remodelling an extension

In the continuing story of extensions in the area, this one is a little different. This house on the corner of Ham Street and Wiggins Lane already had an extension, one with a pitched roof, and I am not sure if that one has been replaced or reworked.

The new lines look good and I like the way that the extension mirrors the lines of dark brick in front of it.

Clearing out the Village Market

The Village Market has been closed for a while but, as with other shop closures in recent years, there is no great rush for anything to happen to the premises once the old shop has closed. After a few weeks some attempt is being made to clear up inside and the shop is pretty empty now.

From pink to grey

This house on the prominent junction of Sandy Lane and Clifford Road used to be a striking pink which made it irritatingly visible from a long distance, such as when travelling on a 65 up Petersham Road. It changed hands recently and the new owners have wisely changed it from pink to grey.

They have made other changes too and the overall appearance is fresh and modern, despite the obvious period shape. I like it.

Brick pillars in Sheridan Road

I owe this one to Richard Woolf who mentioned these unusual brick pillars in his talk on Modern architect in Ham. It just goes to show that you can wander around with eyes wide open looking for things and still miss them. My excuse is that there are only a few pillars like this in the road and that they are often at least partially obscured by cars.

The design is simple (a change of colour, a stepped top and a triangle at the summit) and very effective. It just goes to show how much impact little things can have.

Another extension

2017 seems to be the year for extensions and there are so many that I am finding it hard t track them all. That is my excuse for not remembering exactly where this is (the GPS on my camera is erratic and does not know where this is either) but I do know that it is in the Meadlands Drive / Buckingham Road area.

It is quite a large extension when compared to the size of the original house so it will be interesting to see what impact it has on the area when it is completed. It is encouraging that they have tried to match the brickwork and have done a reasonable job at it.

57 Ham Street

This is another photo that I had to wait a long time to take, and it was worth it.

I wanted to capture the view through the railings of the new Huf Haus in Ham Street but was prevented by the post box that still had the raw rough wood holding it in place. Finally the wood was removed and the post box was given the freedom it deserved.

The delay had its good point as the garden had grown in the meantime and was already impressive.

Black and white

I have been trying to capture this black and white house towards the back of Cedar Drive for a long time but have always been frustrated by parked cars or bad light. I finally took this picture in desperation as, once again, I was unable to take one of the main entrance, this time because of people standing there.

I was keen to capture it this time because the front wall had been repainted and looked all the better for that.

Moving a wall

One of the more interesting things that I learned from Keith Mulberry's excellent talk on local history to Ham United Group at Ham Village Centre (Royal Oak) was that Sandy Lane was a narrow lane until after the wall. To widen the road, the high wall around The Manor House was moved back a few metres. The stub of the old wall was left as a reminder.

A new sign for The Hand and Flower

The Hand and Flower has changed again with new owners, new fixtures and fittings, new menu and also a new sign. I think that it is pretty but it lacks impact.

End of terrace

Meadlands Drive, like the roads around it, consists of long rows of uniform brick housing. This property has taken advantage of its end of terrace position to try and pretend that it is something else but the houses around it tell the truth. Instead of looking special it looks out of place.

Rebuilding 21 Sudbrook Gardens

Most of 21 Sudbrook Gardens was demolished and now the replacement building is taking shape. The hoardings are substantial but enough of the new house sticks up above them for the scale of it to be seen and it is clearly bigger than the house it replaces.

The lock in the gates serves as a handy peephole and is also large enough to push a pocket camera through. So I did, though the large vehicle to the left still blocked the view of part of the house. Perhaps I will have better luck next time.

Chinese bridge

I have wanted to show this bridge for several years but every time I had trekked to the far end of Cedar Heights there has been something preventing me, usually the light, and so I was pleased to get this one. It is not perfect by any means but it will do.

Unfortunately the bridge goes nowhere and Cedar Heights is a frustrating no-through-road. Bute Avenue lies just beyond the bridge and it would be lovely to connect those two roads.

Linden House

Linden House is on Ham Street just north of its junction with Sandy Lane. It can be easily overlooked because it has Beaufort House nearby and The Manor House opposite, which is a shame as it is a delightful building in its own right. That is especially true when the white paint has been redone and the sun is shining.

Behind Lawrence Road

Many roads in Ham have paths that run behind the houses and I like to explore them even though they often have dead ends that force me to retrace my steps. This path runs behind Lawrence Road on the north side and also goes nowhere, unlike the similar path on the south side, off Langham Gardens, that rejoins Lawrence Road.

Put out more flags

I have used the heading "Put out more flags" before and I like it so much that I am using it again. It is, of course, a homage to Evelyn Waugh.

These flags are in the middle of Parkleys (the development) where Marlowe, Spenser and Brooke Courts meet. This is my favourite part of Parkleys because of the courtyards between the block. The picture above is taken from one of those courtyards looking south. Parkleys (the road) is just past the hedges in the centre of the picture.

This is taken from the middle of the previous picture and is looking back towards where that was taken. Here the row of country flags continues so give us places like Slovakia and Spain.

Garden at Glencorse in Church Road

The shop of the same name has gone from Ham Parade but Glencorse the house is still there on Church Road and its front garden looked particularly attractive this day. The house is quite nice too though it fails to stand out in a road with several impressive houses.

Resurfacing Ham Parade and Upper Ham Road

Not a great picture because it was dark and raining but I wanted to log the work for future reference. That is how I know that the stretch of road to the north of this was resurfaced in March 2014 and Dukes Avenue in August the same year.

Connecting South Corner

I have been following the rebuilding of South Corner on Upper Ham Road since February (six months) and that has been an often frustrating time as on most of my walks past either the gates have been closed or their have been large vehicles parked on the long drive obstructing views of the house. Both of these were cleared, briefly, when the house was connected to the mains running along the road.

The trench and pipes were interesting enough in their own right and it was a bonus to see a roof starting to appear at the side of the house.

New benches

I was expecting these benches to arrive but it was pure co-incidence that they were being installed as I was walking past. Just beyond the van a man was busy bolting down the second one. They are very welcome.

Rebuilding The Russell

I have been trying to follow the extensive redevelopment of The Russell School in Petersham for many months but most of the development has been taking place in the middle of the large site and on the north side so can only be glimpsed through the tickets lining the track to Ham Polo.

Evidence of the construction works fills the site and this is the view from the main pedestrian entrance off Petersham Road.

Remembering David Bowie

As somebody who bought the album Aladdin Sane on the day it came out I heartily approve of this homage to David Bowie.

Bare ground

A lot of the development of Richmond Chase is still going on behind high boards but the work on the west of the site, facing Latchmere Close, has almost completed. The exteriors of the three blocks of flats are finished and now they are working on the area in front of them.

I hope that something interesting appears because, at the moment, it looks like a terraced street in an urban area thanks to the unimaginative uniformity of the frontages.

Round window

I do not know how many windows there are in Royal Park Gate, a few thousand I guess, but I do know how many round windows there are. It's one. I am not impressed.

Peels is no more

The small parade of shops on Ashburnham Road / Ham Street has had a few changes in recent years but Peels has been one of the constants. Until now.

It was a very specialised shop and I never had cause to go there though it was always something that I considered doing as I have plain glass in my front door. Now I will not have that chance.

At least the shop ended on a high. They provided the historical map of Ham that decorates one of the front windows in the new Ham Village Centre.

Colourful house in Sheridan Road

Sheridan Road is not that well connected geographically and so I only walk along there once or twice a year. This time I was pleasantly surprised by this colourful house.

Advance Warning

The loop train via Kingston is out of action for a month and Richmond Council have chosen this time to close the road to Richmond in the evening. I am not impressed.