A sea of purple flowers

The garden at Ham House is always worth visiting (that is why I am a member of the National Trust) and on a recent flying visit I was surprised, and pleased, to see a sea of purple flowers decorating some of the lawns in the back garden.

FH07 KDV blocks access

There was plenty of space in the Ashburnham Road car park and even if it was busy that would not have been a valid excuse to park blocking the pedestrian access to the shops. The yellow grid and dropped kerb are there for a good reason. 

Dance Active becomes The Ballet Boutique

Dance Active on Ham Parade has transformed into The Ballet Boutique and I caught the transformation on my many walks past the shop.

At first it was the writing on the window that announced the change.

Then the old sign disappeared, briefly revealing that the premises used to be a dry cleaners.

The pinkness of the new sign and awning suggest that the target audience is young girls which is something of a shame, particularly as the internationally renowned BalletBoyz have their studios not far away in North Kingston.

Neat extension in Burnell Avenue

This extension in Burnell Avenue is almost complete and has revealed its design. And it is a good design too. Perhaps it benefited from looking at the many other extensions in the road to see what works and does not but, whatever the reason this is definitely one of the better ones.

I like the the small windows in the extension that provide additional light to the new room and also make it look a little less like an extension. I also like the way that all the windows have been replaced with a matching design and that design has some character.

Montrose House at night

I do not often take photos at night and it was the illumination on the front of Montrose House that persuaded me to take one this time. The increased contrast emphases the symmetry of the lodge and that is what makes it so attractive.

New project in Manston Grove

The houses in Royal Park Gate are under thirty years old but may of them have had work done to them, which in most cases has been loft and/or garage conversions. This work in Manston Grove looks more substantial and I will be interested to see how it turns out.

Cutting back in Manston Grove

One of the areas where the recent major cutting back in Royal Park Gate is most obvious is in Manston Grove, one of the no-through-roads running off Horsley Drive. The bushes had been regularly trimmed into large box shapes about a meter high and wide and now the height has been reduced dramatically and they have been cut back a shade to keep the pavement-less road clear.

The bushes on the other side of the road have been treated a little more kindly and so give a better impression of what they looked like before being shorn of all greenery.

New project in Lock Road

This house in Lock Road recently changed hands and it looks as though the new owner has major plans for it. I hope that something good will be revealed when the black hoarding is removed.

Grey Heron

It is not that unusual to see a Heron around Teddington Lock though it was very nice to see one right in the heart of the lock with matching grey steps behind it.

Fixing something in Cave Road

It does not seem that long since the fire escape was added to the end of this block of flats in Cave Road and now the substantial scaffolding suggests that something major needs fixing in that area.

Behind Beaufort Court

There are two sides to Beaufort Court, the front sides have lovely curved balconies and it is these that normally appear in photographs but I like the back sides too, especially when the crisp early Spring sun is upon them.

These windows face south-west towards the river and across Ham Lands and it seems a shame that the balconies are on the other side. 

Scaffolding in Dukes Avenue

Any scaffolding that I spot in Ham is likely to make it into this blog and it is even more likely if it is on a large scale, like it is with this house in Dukes Avenue.

A view of Ham House

I have photographed Ham House many times from many positions but I think this is the first one taken from the south-east corner of the plats.

The back of the house looks as wonderful as it always does and the foreground gives a hint of changes to come.

Sandpits Road

I like this sign for Sandpits Road just because it is in two parts, almost as if the word "Road" was added as an afterthought.

The wall is interesting too having been raised with layers of bricks quite different from the original ones.

Changes at Cecil House

I have been in the grounds of Cecil House a few times as it often participates in Petersham Open House and so I know that behind this wall there is a path through the trees that any child (or any age) would love to explore.

The sudden disappearance of a large section of the wall suggests that the new owners have other plans for this section of their large garden.

183 Petersham Road

I am always on the lookout for new fences and their freshness usually makes them easy to spot. I noticed this one when going along Petersham Road on the bus and made a point of revisiting it on foot soon after.

The big sign says this is 183 Petersham Road but the little addition stuck on later explains that it is also 183A.

2 Sandy Lane

2 Sandy Lane is looking a little worn and in need of attention. It has just been sold and I expect that the new owners have plans to bring this property up to date. I am hoping that this is a "before" photo and that there will be a nice "after" one to follow it.

291 Petersham Road

291 Petersham Road is something of an oddity standing on its own between a lane and a row of cottages set back form the road. It is a neat brick structure and is attractive in its own right so it is quite easy to miss the detail of this pretty sign.

New front door

The work at 1 Upper Ham Road has been very piecemeal which means that I have been able to take a new photograph after each stage of the work. This time it was on the arrival of a front door.

The glass panels in it match the rest of the house but there are too many of them for my liking and I think that it looks more like a back door than a front one. Oddly the other front door has no glass at all.

Richmond Chase extends

After several months of anticipation the fence blocking the main road in Richmond Chase has finally moved back almost all the way showing for the first time what the finished development will look like.

Unfortunately on this day many of the houses were still being worked on and there were too many large ugly vans parked for me to show the whole of the road so I had to content myself with the lower end.

Individually the houses look nice, as did the interior of the show home, so it is a little sad that they are cramped so close together and that the small frontages are dominated by bin stores.

Plant holders

Either one of these plant holders would be worth a photograph so finding the two together was a treat. Admittedly they are not at their best at this time of year so I will wait and see what they look like in Summer.

A new project in Hazel Lane

This looks like the start of an interesting project in Hazel Lane which gives me a good excuse to keep going back there.

Woodlands

Hazel Lane is s short passage with a little over half a dozen houses yet it is a compelling place for me as all the houses are interesting and there is a surprising amount going on there, such as the new fence, gate, sign and light at Woodlands.

Metal flowers

It is the collection of lodges in Sudbrook Lane that I normally pay most attention to when walking along there but the cottages at the Petersham Road end are pretty too. One of these cottages makes an attractive plea for attention with a vine of metal flowers running through the gate.

Subtle upgrade

I rely a lot on my brain subconsciously alerting me to things that have changed as I walk along and this is a case in point. I was leaving Cedar Heights when I noticed a small change without looking for it. The front door is new but unremarkable, it is the delicate porch that is worth noting.

Neat job

I love the eclectic mix of houses in Cedar Heights and so I often wander in there even though there is no way out except the way that you go in (a sad error). This property has been successfully updated, so much so that it is hard to tell what work has been done.

Obviously the doors are new, their style tells you that, but I am not sure how much of the other grey stuff is new. Whatever the age of the individual components the overall effect is lovely.

Design Contract Build

I am not expecting to see much of the work being done to this very private house on Petersham Road and so I am happy to settle for the stylish sign advertising the developers.