Foundations at 59 Ham Street

Ham Street continues to draw me to it to see how various projects are progressing. The main one is at number 59, next to the Library, where the foundations of two new houses are now in place.

Progress had been made on completing the ground floor when I returned a few days later, despite the almost constant rain that we had at that time.

Spring border at Ham House

Every time that I go to Ham House, which is several times a year, there are changes in the garden to look out for. With the onset of Spring (which so far has been just a few days squeezed between Winter and Summer) the long borders in the rear garden are showing off their daffodils.

Vote Labour

There are elections again this year and that means that the area has started sprouting election posters. The Labour ones may not be the most numerous but they do make the most impact.

In contrast the Lib Dem signs are a jumble sale mix of different posters from different campaigns that have a common diamond shape which manages to confuse some voters who insist in displaying them as squares.

Update on Richmond Chase

Progress at Richmond Chase seems to be slow but there is progress and on every visit, I go there every couple of weeks or so, there is something new to see, though these days I usually have to peek through the barriers to see it.

This time the progress was at the front and on the right with the large area of brick driveway, some more planting just beyond the barriers and beyond that a line of bin stores which failed to be mentioned in the promotional material.

One my next visit things had changed again with the brick driveway extended a lot further and a new (presumably temporary) fence to separate the houses that are still very much under construction from those that are almost finished. I hope that means that the barrier will be going soon and I will be able to walk down there.

LS08 TBU parks badly in a bad place

The double yellow lines are there for a reason and the dropped kerb is there for a reason too but LS08 TBU ignores that and chooses to park badly in a bad place.

Spring tides at Teddington Lock

There was a time, when the children were boys not men, that I checked the tide tables and went along the towpath when high tides were due but those days are now long-gone and I am as surprised as everyone else when I chance upon a particularly high tide.

I noticed this one as soon as I started crossing the footbridge from Teddington as the water was above the level of the weir making it redundant.

The tide was still coming in as I walked around the island and then along the towpath. Here you can see the ledge that boat people stand on when guiding their boats through the lock.

The Barge Lock looks a very full as the extra height widens the water and hides most of the construction. Only the stairs give a clue that there might be something in the water.

Large slide at Shelley Court

I took a picture of Shelley Court when the scaffolding first arrived simple because I like scaffolding. And then this big slide arrived and I had to take another picture.

Wet rabbits

As part of the Easter Celebration, some cuddly rabbits and a few teddy bears sat on the wall in front of Ham Library despite the steady rain.

They all got very wet and they look a little tired but they stayed out there anyway and I was very glad to see them.

Quiet path

I use this short cut through Petersham quite regularly as it is far prettier and quieter than taking the main road that also lacks a pavement on one side as it passes Montrose House. Brick walls are always nice and here you have one on both sides. Then there are nice features like the white door and the vegetation climbing over the wall on the left.

Rebuilding recommences

The rebuilding of 1 Upper Ham Road stalled for a while. Perhaps that was the plan, perhaps it was the snow, perhaps it was the consequences of the demolition of the listed building without planning permission. Now work has restarted.

The temporary roof now covers all of the site, materials have been delivered and builders can be seen and heard; some are living in the cottage next door.

Modest project in Cedar Heights

Cedar Heights is relatively active at the moment with a series of building projects ranging from the small to the ridiculous. This is a modest scheme and, so far, seems to be nicely maintaining the character of the house and the area.

Missing gate at Teddington Lock

One of the reasons that I like to visit Teddington Lock regularly is that there always seems to be something going on there. This time the front gate to the Barge Lock was missing. This is also the bridge to the island so a temporary bridge had to be installed over the gate at the far end.

Putting lipstick on a pig

At the time of writing, the ugliest house in the area is on the market at £4.75m which is almost twice the price of a 5 bedroom neighbour so it is not surprising that it needs some help is selling. Clearly its appearance from the road is one of its problems so it is understandable that some sort of garden has started to appear.

Anyone who has been to the Palm Centre in Ham Street (it is a great place to visit) will appreciate how much has been spent on the olive tree alone.

YT67 XRA blocks Northweald Lane

Northweald Lane is deliberately narrow and so parking is strictly limited to just one side of the road in designated sections far away from the junction with Dukes Avenue. The cars in the middle left of the photo show where parking is allowed. The engineer working at the green cabinets by Richmond Road felt that such restrictions were unnecessary and selfishly parked at the entrance to Northweald Lane thus making it awkward for everybody else to get in or out of that side of Royal Park Gate.

Improving a cycle route

Richmond Council has been consulting on improvements to the Quiet Way from Ham Gate to Teddington Lock and, presumably as part of this, the section of the cycle and pedestrian route between Riverside Drive and Hardwicke Road has been resurfaced.

Now the two parts of the path are both smooth and flat and also there is no ridge between them so bikes can easily make use of the full width when it makes sense for them to do so.

It is only a simple change to a small section of the route but it is definitely an improvement.

Community Notice Board

The Community Notice Board on Ham Parade arrived a couple of years ago and is proving to be a useful source of local information. I hope that is true of the two posters of mine that are included.

Black and White

I have admired this house towards the end of Cedar Heights for some time but my attempts to take a picture of it have often been thwarted by parked cars or by bad weather so I was very pleased to find it free of such distractions.

The design is somewhat unusual and I like it.

Silver Birch Cottage on Ham Common

This photograph needs no explanation.