Improved crossing

The crossing of Riverside Drive has been changed slightly as part of the Quiet Way improvements. The welcome work to widen the pavements and, consequently, to narrow the road at that point happened some time ago and so the recent changes are mostly cosmetic. The new markings make the crossing more obvious to approaching vehicles and suggest a segregation of pedestrians and cyclists.

Work tall

There are not many buildings in Ham above two storeys and this terrace of town houses in Back Lane is one of the exceptions. That extra height makes the fairly common maintenance and improvement work visually more interesting, at least if you are as obsessed by scaffolding as I am.

Letter boxes

The Manor House in Ham Street is an impressive building and it has nice letter boxes too.

Launch Lock

I do not need much of an excuse to take a picture of the Launch Lock at Teddington and on this visit I was captivated by its neat appearance and the high water.

I am undecided whether the cone adds to or detracts from the picture but it was there so it had to be included.

Shady path

This short path is in at the beginning of Ham Lands as it forms between Royal Park Gate and the river and I usually walk that way rather than taking the surfaced path. Except when it is muddy!

Street closed

London's Car Free Days is not until Sunday 22 September so it is something of a surprise to see New Road closed on Sunday 23 June.

Costa

Costa arrived on Ham Parade a little while ago, taking the space that was occupied Village Market, but it has taken me until now to catch it with no cars parked in front of it.

It is a pretty nondescript frontage which I like. The last thing Ham Parade needs is something garish like Taylor Made. The simple frontage seems to be having no impact on the business as it always seems to be pretty busy in there whenever I walk past.

Deckchairs

Ham House is always worth a visit, which is why I go there regularly, and those visits have become even better with the prospect of lounging in one of these deckchairs in the kitchen garden.

Choosing a colour

Just over a month ago I posted a picture of this house because it had had colour samples painted on the front wall for a long time and I was not sure if it was ever going to be done. And now it has.

I am not sure that they have used any of the colours in the set of samples but I have no complains about the colour they have chosen.

Grey boxes

I am not sure that I would have noticed this change if I had not been there to see it taking place.

These planters arrived a few years ago to mark the boundary of the private Bistro and the public pavement, which is also marked by the different paving styles. Originally they were painted black and now they are grey. And a rather nice grey too.

Paddle handle

It seems that every new door has a long pole for a handle these days and I like that this house in Back Lane have given a twist to that meme by making the pole a paddle.

Gatehouse garden

Gatehouse on the north side of Ham Common is one of the more distinctive and prominent buildings locally and its garden makes it even more impressive.

The burst of flowers in the middle of the picture made me stop and take this picture even though I have walked past the garden many many times.

New front wall

A lot has happened to Sandy Lodge in Sandy Lane in recent years and now it has a new front wall with the expectation of gates to follow.

High fence with flowers

This large expanse of wood in Buckingham Road could be a little daunting if not for the flowers. The swathe of greenery above the door helps too. And there is interesting brickwork too.

Large pot

The last time that I posted a picture of something being swallowed by a hedge it was a car and this time it is a more modest pot (though it probably has a more correct name) that is trying its best to hide itself in the front garden of a house in Buckingham Road.

It is quite a large pot, as the leaves next to it show, and it is a rather nice one too so it is a shame that it is shy.

Beware of the chickens

Clifford Road has a couple of little greens which push the houses back from the road and the pavement so you have to go out of your way to walk past them. I went out of my way this time because I was attracted by the delightful gate and the matching dog defending it. It was only when I got close that I noticed the equally delightful "Beware of the Chickens" sign.

Preparing the way

Something is about happen behind some houses on the west side of Clifford Road; there are various warning signs on the new gates at the end of the lane and the trees on the left have been cut back to the boundary to improve access to the site.

Final stages of Richmond Chase

I have been taking photos of Richmond Chase for over two years and it is gradually moving towards completion with opening up of the section that connects to Garth Road.

The removal of the fence there finally opens up the full view along the main road, though Latchmere House at the far end is still hidden behind sheeting as the work there continues.

The view is not ugly but it is not as pretty as the original advertisements suggested, not that it was ever going to be, and the storage bins are clearly part of the reason for that.

The houses at the end of the road look rather different thanks to the red brick. As with the rest of the development, they are impressively large houses squeezed into inappropriately small plots.

I would not want to live here though other people do and a lot of the properties have sold signs on them and several are already occupied.

Completed extension in Clifford Road

While I am watching a new extension being constructed at the Meadlands Drive end of Clifford Road, this house at the Sandy Lane end may give a clue on what to expect there. A welcome attempt has been made to match the style of the main house's windows and brickwork but it is very hard to stop an extension looking like an extension.

Extension in Clifford Road

I have walked down Clifford Road a couple of times recently and taken pictures of the building works at the Meadlands Drive end both times and as I cannot choose between them I am posting both.

What attracted me the first time was the cascade of insulation and the builder's bags in the foreground.

On my second visit work had progressed noticeably; windows had gone and the steel frame for the extension was starting to appear.

Throne

At least I think that it is a throne, it is too grand to be just a chair. Any kings or queens wanting to try it for size need to head to the area in front of Ham House, that is Ham Street behind it.

New wall and gates

There used to be a garage here and I thought that I had posted a picture of it but I cannot find it again so either I did not tag it correctly or I did not post it after all.

"Here" is Sandpits Road and this is the entrance to Ginnels House which, confusingly, is behind the house that you can see. It is part of a large project on a large house and I hope to post a picture or two of that soon; my attempts so far have been thwarted by builders' vehicles blocking the view.

Lots of wood

3 Cleves Road has gone for a very woody look. There is nothing unusual about the fence but the porch is bit of a surprise. I like the shape of it and the window. I am less certain about the choice of wood as the material for the porch given that the houses in the street are very much brick built. I am prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt and to wait and see how it matures.

Going blue

The pretty patch of greenery opposite the Hand and Flower is Gate House Garden which is owned and maintained by Ham Amenities Group, as the noticeboard there attests. That noticeboard was plain wood for many years and now it has gone Manchester City Blue.

New gates

These two houses on Back Lane have replaced the fence between them and added two matching gates. The wood looks very fresh and smart and I wonder if that is about to change with some preservatives or paints. Another walk down Back Lane will soon tell.