21 Sudbrook Gardens

The rebuilt house at 21 Sudbrook Gardens is now complete. I find it a little bland though at least it has the brick section in the middle to break up the featureless rendering. I suspect that the view will be considerably improved once the new tress grown above the height of the wall.

Through the wounded trees

I have already shared a couple of photos of the major clearance of the trees and bushes that protect the river from Burnell Avenue and I decided to share another one as this was from a different angle and was taken on a gloriously bright (and bitterly cold) day.

Again the clearance of and under the trees is striking and that work has allowed the houses behind to intrude on the view. I hope that Spring will fix that.

Carriage door

Number 1 Upper Ham Road has taken another noticeable step towards completion with the arrival of a carriage door. It is, of course, slightly fake in that there is a wall behind most of it and only the closest third or so actually opens.

The other door has also gained a large painted "1" to remove any doubt of its address.

Cobblestones

This is an old sign so I am a little surprised that I have not taken a picture of it before. The typeface may be a little on the narrow side for a house nameplate but what it lacks in functionality it more than makes up for in beauty with its subtle serifs.

Rebuild in Ham Farm Road

The little corner of Ham around the junction of Upper Ham Road and Ham Farm Road has seen a lot of major projects in recent years and this is another one. It's on Ham Farm Road in the section that has the grassy section of Ham Common Woods opposite it.

A closer look shows the extent of the work being done. It looks as though the ground floor walls are staying and I hope that they are because they are a rather lovely colour.

Changes at Wendy's Workshop

Ten years after its arrival on Ham Parade Wendy's Workshop is going through major changes. I had heard that it was closing but one of the workmen that I spoke to said that it was remaining the same. We will see soon.

SY14 PNB makes a mess of Ham Farm Road

The street furniture in Ham is often bent out of shape by reckless driving and this time we know who did it as SY14 PNB conveniently left one of their number plates behind.

Texaco become BP

Ham Cross looks very different now that the green BP branding has replaced the red Texaco look. The change happened a few weeks ago and I was waiting for the black section on the information board to be filled in with something permanent and, presumably, green, but there is no sign of that happening just yet.

Branding apart, there has been no significant change to the garage, shop or cleaning service.

LF68 YAA double parks for Greggs

People parking badly while shopping at Greggs is hardly unusual and would normally go unreported here but this driver bagged their place in my Bad Parking file by leaving the car unattended in the slip-road, blocking it for all traffic, while they went shopping.

As if that was not enough, a few minutes later the driver was somewhat reluctant to slow down and let me continue crossing the road while I was using the crossing just to the right of their photo and had to brake somewhat sharply. They were eating at the time.

Ham Gate Lodge

I do not normally stray into Richmond Park for this blog but this cottage is called Ham Gate Lodge and so it deserves be to included. Not surprisingly, it is at the end of Ham Gate Avenue and is just inside the park on the right as you go in.

The lodge is normally obscured by greenery and so Winter is the best time to appreciate it. I think that the grey sky suits it too. 

Curved bench

Ham Village Green is benefitting from a long series of gradual improvements, the latest of which is a curved bench on one of the long paths that cross it. New benches are always a good idea and a conversation-encouraging curved one is an even better one.

Entrance to Richmond Chase

The poster shows what the entrance to Richmond Chase will look like once the rebuilding of Latchmere House. The poster, like the photograph, cheats a little by showing the view from between two blocks of affordable housing that form the real entrance.

I have nothing against the affordable housing, just the opposite, I wish there was ore of it. My argument is against the design of the site that hides the centrepiece, Latchmere House, behind a wall of red brick.

New fence and gates

This new fence and gates in  Woodville Road are brash and somewhat shocking at the moment. They are also very neat and tidy. Weathering and time will improve the look without tarnishing the structure.

Major works on Launch Lock

The larger Barge Lock had a complete refit a few years ago (I took a photo of the works in April 2014) and now it is the turn of the Launch Lock. The old timbers that protect the passing boats from the stone walls have been removed and new ones are lying beside the lock ready to be fitted.

Meadowview

I was walking past Meadowview on Rushmead (off Croft Way) when the sign caught my eye. I think it is new though cannot find any old pictures of it to compare. The neat and modest sign deserves to be noticed, even if it is not new.

Pots and plants

Colourful gardens are always welcome and even more so during the grey Winter months.

The back of Beaufort House

I have posted a picture of the back of Beaufort House before (the front is in Ham Street facing Sandy Lane) but that was several years ago (seven!) and the hedge has grown since then. It is a tidy hedge and I can see why it is there, it is just a shame that it hides a lot of the house and so masks its symmetry.

Orange and blue

The yellow cafe on Upper Ham Road was short-lived and has now been replaced by an aggressively orange and blue plumbing and heating business. I took this picture while work was still in progress and the frontage has become even more orange since then. I'll take another picture once the work has completed.

I have no idea how this is allowed in a conservation area or why anybody thought that the colour scheme was a good idea.

BP57 JSZ parks badly again

It would be a full-time job to post pictures of every example of bad parking that I see so I just do the most egregious and the most unusual. This is an unusual one and also a repeat offender.

Previously I caught BP57 JSZ parked awkwardly on double-yellow lines on Ham Common. This time it was in the entrance to Northweald Lane. There are yellow lines to keep the narrow entrance clear which the driver has chosen to ignore. The car is also facing the wrong way and is partially obscured by the fake gates to Royal Park Gate so the parking is both dangerous and inconsiderate.

One more window

The appearance of the old building is being copied in the new, which does not excuse the crime of demolishing it without permission. The latest arrival is that large window on the upper level. Now we are just waiting to see what the replacement for the carriage door will be.