The final touch at South Corner

I had been watching the new South Corner on Upper Ham Road take shape over several months and had been impressed with every aspect of it. The final touch was to add the house name and while we were waiting for the proper sign we had to make do with this paper one kept dry by a standard document wallet.

The sign when it arrived proved to be every bit as neat as the rest of the development.

The remains of a school

Russell School in Petersham has been rebuilt but there are still a few remnants of the old school to remind us of what it looked like.

Pipes in Hazel Lane

Something exciting should be happening the other side of this wall in Hazel Lane to justify the impressive collection of pipes emerging from it. If it's just a boiler then I'll be upset.

Sensitive thinning in Ham Common Woods

Having suffered the shock of the major clearance between Ham Farm Road and Church Road I then crossed into the main section of Ham Woods and followed the main footpath that runs just north of Church Road and there things were much better.

The main evidence that work had been done was the large amount of new material spread over the path, including holly leaves and I had to look a lot harder to see what had actually been cut back to produce this. In the above picture you can see two new cuts about one third down and one quarter right.

Again there are stumps in this picture but the character of this section of Ham Common Woods is just as it should be.

More clearance in Ham Common Woods

I was concerned when I saw the sign notifying people of the plan to remove/thin the holly in Ham Common Woods and, sadly, I was right to be.

In what used to be a cosy thicket next to the path between Church Road and Ham Farm Road there is now a large clearing. There has been far more removal than thinning.

I presume that the base of the trunks have been left to allow the trees to start again in Spring and, if so, that is better than nothing but I liked the height of the canopy before the pruning and it will take a while to get back to that, if it ever does.

Neat garden in Lauderdale Drive

To be honest, the Lauderdale Drive / Ashley Gardens area is not my favourite not least because there is no way through so you have to enter and leave via Sandy Lane. This makes walking there pointless unless, like me, your sole purpose is curiosity.

That curiosity allowed me to discover this neat garden at the section of road furthest away from Sandy Lane. It has probably been like this for years but I normally walk on the outer pavement and in a clockwise direction when you need to be walking anti-clockwise on the inner pavement to find it.

Petergate

I like to walk along Hazel Lane and despite being short and having a golf course on one side there is a lot to see and enjoy. From the Petersham Road end, that starts with the sign to Petergate, 1 Hazel Lane.

Another extension in Burnell Avenue

Remarkably there are still some houses in Burnell Avenue that have not been extended beyond all recognition of what they once were. This is one of the last to fall. The grey blocks make quite an impression and I took this picture from the other side of the green while walking along the tow path, hence the unusually low angle.

Unusual companions in Woodville Road

A few days ago I posted a picture of a gorilla in a garden in Woodville Road and I took this one of the garden next door from the same spot. The metal dog is delightful and justifies the picture by himself but I also like the juxtaposition with the classic white statue.

Bland house in Latchmere Close

Another construction project nearing completion is this house in Latchmere Close that is being squeezed into the odd shaped piece of land behind Latchmere Lodge. The construction seems to be a decent standard but the appearance is decidedly bland. There are too few windows for the amount of brick and the windows that are there are lack any decoration.

35 Sandy Lane

35 Sandy Lane is typical for the road, particularly the south side of it, but the house number is a bit special. The slightly cursive font is cute and right for the age of the house and I like the way that it is held away from the wall.

The roof is on

I keep walking into Sudbrook Gardens to see how the rebuilding of number 21 is getting on which has often been frustrating as most of the work has been hidden behind the hoardings. At least the roof is visible and that has now been completed.

The window on the gable looks a little odd but perhaps that will make more sense once the whole house is finished.

Gorilla in the garden

I spend a lot of time walking around Ham and Petersham and I spend a lot of that time looking in to gardens in the hope of finding things like this small gorilla who seems to be very happy in Woodville Road.

The next stage of Richmond Chase

I keep visiting Richmond Chase to see if there is anything new to see but the second stage of the development has been hidden behind barriers for several months. Then I went there when the barriers were lying on the ground, probably due to the recent strong winds, and I was able to look into the development.

This is looking down the main street with Latchmere House behind me. The road has an interesting kink in it which the lone tree suggests might be a planted area.

Looking round to the left the backs of houses in Garth Close can be seen, for the moment.

As Richmond Chase develops it is starting to look every bit as dense and unimaginative as the publicity material suggests. I'll keep visiting to see how it progresses and I'll also keep hoping that it looks better when completed.

Fire Hydrant in Woodville Road

There is a familiar yellow Fire Hydrant sign on the pavement but it is the older sign on the wall of the house that is noteworthy. Sadly it has been painted and not too carefully.

Extension in Clifford Road

For me, this extension does not quite work due to the clash in brick colouring. They are too different for the extension to blend in and too similar for it to stand out proudly in its own right.

Meadowview

It was the italicised "I" that caught my attention accidentally in the way that some logos deliberately try to by mixing fonts. Without it the sign looks very dated with its heavy serifs. Despite all that, I still like it and I like the wall behind it even more.

Playground make-over

The playground on the edge of Royal Park Gate has been given a make-over by Kingston Council. This includes new equipment, new safe surfaces and a map of the Thames.

There is more equipment than before and this smaller climbing frame is new.

In addition to the map of the river there is a curious signpost that serves no practicable purpose and is not that decorative either. I presume that the London and Richmond signs are pointing the wrong way for the same reason that Richmond had lost its "m". Also I know that this is technically in Kingston but a sign to Kingston pointing upstream to the town centre would mean more to children than one to Hampton Court, unless that is meant as a reminder that there is a far better playground to be found there.