Teddington Lock

Every now and then I like to return to some of Ham's landmarks just as a reminder that they are there as it is easy to take these things for granted. Teddington Lock is one of those landmarks and this view of it from the footbridge is one that inspires me most mornings as I walk to work.

Taking shape

Now that the roof is being constructed the size and scale of the rebuild at the end of Sudbrook Gardens is becoming obvious, and it is big. But then it is in a road of big houses. 

Ham Common Woods

Ham Common Woods is a lovely place to go for a walk, it's just a shame that there is not more of it to enjoy and that Ham Gate Avenue cuts through the middle of it.

At least there are plenty of twisting paths that mean that long and pleasant routes can be conjured from a small space.

Stylish house in Ham Farm Road

Ham Farm Road has several stylish houses and I had been wanting to take a picture of this one for some time following its minor refresh but that refresh left a skip on the drive for a frustratingly long time. Finally the skip was taken away and I got my picture.

No unauthorised parking across the driveway

I pass this spot several times a week on the walk to work and the van always annoys me. The sign on the garage door says "No unauthorised parking across the driveway" which is somewhat inconsistent given that the van is parked on the pavement.

New door for Physio Extra

The entrance to Physio Extra was replaced some weeks ago and I had been waiting for them to paint it before posting a picture. They've gone for a look that says residential rather than commercial and it suits the old building because of that.

Exploring paths around Lawrence Road

Ham is rich with pathways between roads and these vary from the paved and well maintained paths in Wates Estate to the grassy routes through the older developments. There are several of these in and around Lawrence Road.

This is the path from Dukes Avenue with Lawrence Road on the left. While this one looks used, and is certainly usable, that is only true part of the way, about where the white shed is. There the path turns left, that bit is passable, and also continues on ahead but that bit is completely overgrown. 

Another lost garden

The white fence is nice and so is the low white wall in front of the house. I like the colour of the paving too but I do not like the way that it covers the whole of the front garden as it gives it a very stark look. This is particularly incongruous in this section of Ham Street where most of the cottages have pretty gardens.

New doors at Linden House and Studio

I remarked recently that Linden House on Ham Street had been the happy recipient of a new coat of white paint and now it has got new front doors front and back too.

The front door is a stern black and has three locks.

At the back, on Wiggins Lane, is the entrance to Linden House Studio. The doors are teal and almost as stern looking as the front door due to the lack of decoration and the horizontal lines. I love the handles though.

Shed by Ham House

I have always found this shed in Ham Street attractive and this time something about the scene made it even more so. The white pipes certainly helped.

Crossing Ham Lands

Crossing Ham Lands on paths like this is one of the main attractions of living in Ham while working in Teddington. Actually,  walking along paths like this for the simple pleasure of doing so is one of the main attractions of living in Ham.

Improving access to Ham Common Woods

The footpath into Ham Common Woods from Ham Gate Avenue used to consist of a steep step that was awkward for pedestrians and difficult for cyclists but that has now been fixed with ramps on either side of the new pavement.

Garages in Kingfisher Drive

Ham is pleasingly littered with block of garages and they can be found in various developments of various ages across the area. These are at the end of Kingfisher Drive and so are on the boundary of Wates Estate.

The footpath to Teddington Footbridge from Hardwicke Road runs behind these garages but, sadly, there is no way through.

High tide at Teddington Weir

I was walking back home from work and had just got on to Teddington Footbridge when I noticed that the tide was particularly high. The island in the centre is always a good marker of the river level as a beach is exposed at low tide.

To judge the height of the tide better I zoomed in on the weir to see how much of a drop there was between the two levels and there was not much of a drop at all. it looked to be little more than an inch. I was probably not there when the tide was at its highest either.

Looking across to the main sluices and the near parity between the two levels was even more obvious.

NJ53 NXZ goes the wrong way

The No Entry sign on the slip road behind Ham Parade is very obvious but NJ53 NXZ has chosen to ignore it in looking for somewhere to park. This selfishness will cause problems when they have to reverse out into Tudor Drive.