Missing railings

Recently I posted a picture of some railings that had escaped the war effort and thought that I would contrast that with a very obvious example of their removal. This is the wall behind St Peters and it carries the obvious stumps of removed railings.

HS04 WJM blocks dropped kepr

Parking is clearly not allowed here but the driver of HS04 WJM though his wishes were more important than other people's, including the family that struggled to cross here with a buggy. 

Different lines

The problematic junction of Ham Common with Maringales Close has a new set of markings to try and make it clearer and safer. The Give Way lines on the section from The New Inn (you can see some of the remnants of the old lines) have been replaced with Give Way lines that only cover half of the road with the other half marked as not in use.

I do not drive, I do not have a car, but it seems to me that the left turn out of The New Inn section and the right turn out of Martingales Close both expect motorists to take unnatural lines before taking a corner that is sharper than necessary.

I was also hoping that the tree on the island would have been pruned right back to improve sight-lines for everyone and to let pedestrians use the pavement around it.

Clearing out

163 Dukes Avenue is one of the more interesting of the current batch of redevelopment projects because of its extensive scope; the garage that was at the end of the garden has been demolished, it is possible to see right through the house to the front curtains and the house is growing upwards.

More yellow lines

The yellow lines that started at Ham Gate have now spread along Church Road and past the junction with Latchmere Lane. There seems to be little point in these, nobody is going to be mad enough to park on the left and I have only ever seen one motorist stupid enough to park on the right.

 

The lines continue all the way to Latchmere Close before they get bored and give up.

Do not swim or jump

One of the features of the summer, when it has been sunny, has been the large numbers of people swimming in The Thames, particularly on and around the island at Teddington Lock. Richmond Council  has responded by installing some large signs telling people not to swim or jump.

Bigger crash barriers

When the petrol station on Ham Parade was refurbished last year a couple of crash barriers were installed to protect the pumps. These proved to be insufficient and the one facing Dukes Avenue was bent seriously out of shape. The replacement crash barriers are a lot bigger!

Barrier removed

There was some controversy when barriers were erected to segregate the BMX track by Teddington Lock from the main path through Ham Lands as their placement unnecessarily inhibited the run-up to the main jumps. Richmond Council recognised that this was an error and proposed to move some of the barriers but somebody did not wait and the offending barrier has been removed to reinstate the run-up.

Timber frame

This is the most interesting project that I am monitoring currently. The original house has been well and truly gutted and the two extensions at the front have been removed. Now the timber frame shows the extent of the new full-width front extension and the side extension. It was an odd looking house before and it may be afterwards too.

The timber frame reveals the shape but says nothing about the finish so there are still things to look forward to and reasons to walk along Petersham Road, despite the narrow pavement and speeding traffic.

Hotel Wildlife

The distinctive glazing in the background tells you that this is St Richard's Church in Ashburnham Road and the sign tells you that this collection of wood and plants is there to support wildlife, especially bugs. 

Wet path

It is worth remembering that sometimes the only way that you can walk along Church Road in ordinary shoes is to go right on to the other side of the road. The path from the church to Latchmere Lane is often too muddy to use and then you come across puddles like this.

The Old Doctor's House

This is another sign that I cannot quite believe that it has taken me this long to get around to posting. I presume that it has been there for ages and the only weak excuse that I can some up with is that the secrecy of a famous previous owner kept it well hidden.

I also find it an interesting example of how we use English; the word ordering suggests that it means the house of the old doctor but it could mean the doctor's old house. Other languages do this better.

Fixing the roof

When a roof is as large and as prominent as this one this then fixing it is going to get noticed. The house is in Sudbrook Gardens and the roof can be seen from Petersham Road.

 

Four years ago I praised this house and I trust that it will still look good when this work is finished.

LD66 AXB on the pavement

Parking on the pavement is a very anti-social thing to do because the selfish driver is saying that it is more important to reduce the minimal risk of damage to my car than it is for everyone else to be able to walk along the pavement.

CC Pizza goes large

CC Pizza, on the corner of Ham Street and Ashburnham Road, has installed a new very large sign on the Ham Street side to promote its range of fast foods.

The signs faces almost directly at the exit from Grey Court School and I suspect that is deliberate. I though that the UK Government was going to ban advertising like this near schools but all I can find with a quick online search is a proposed ban on TV advertising. 

Mixed paving

The mix of paving stones and bricks in front of The New Inn is visually pleasing and suits the old building well. I presume that the paving stones lark the boundary of the pub and the bricks mark the pavement, in which case the pavement is very narrow at the corner.

Walking through Wates Estate

My previous post on Wates Estate was of something unusual, a decorative fence, so I thought I would follow that with a typical view to show just how pretty much of it is.

Lost lost keys

This post is at one of the main entrances to Ham Lands off Riverside Drive and the poster on it is about lost keys but the poster itself has become lost amongst the thriving nettles.

Decorative fence

Wates Estate is always worth a good wander, rather than just charging through it, because off the beaten track you find things like this.

Blocked path

This path between Riverside Drive and Hardwicke Road is shared by pedestrians and cyclists, it is part of the major cycle route from Teddington to Richmond Park but cyclists are forced onto the pedestrian section as the cycle section is almost completely blocked by vegetation.

I reported this to Richmond Council and they should be clearing it soon.

Broken bridge

The bridge leading off the towpath by Ham House has been showing signs or wear for sometime and now it has been firmly closed off, forcing me to take a long detour around Ham Polo. I hope that the bridge's closure is not just to stop people usng it but also to allow it to be repaired.

Welcome plants

The main advantage of Ham Parade Market is the choice of excellent foods (i always get my supply of things like cheese, humus and olives from there) and another plus is the work the organisers have been doing to brighten up the patch of greenery on the south-east corner of the Parade.

The tall planter and herb circle are both welcome additions to what was once a fairly neglected area.

Porch added

The entrance to the remodelled former vicarage in Church Road used to lack impact until the arrival of this porch and now everything looks good. The porch may have been a late decision as it was added after all the other work had completed.

The bad news is that the high wall and solid gates obscure the view so this is another place that I will have to keep walking past hoping to find a gate open one day. 

Box

The rash of extensions in Locksmeade continues and this is a very obvious one sitting on the bend in Headway Close.

An obvious attempt has been made to match the brick but it has not quite worked and it rather looks as though the extension has a rash itself. The bigger crime though is the loss of the marginal green space that there used to be along the side of the house.

HY61 XZL on the pavement

Nothing shows the arrogance of some drivers more than pavement parking. Cars already have most of the space allocated to them, roads are much wider than pavements, and there is simply no excuse for taking even more space by parking on the pavement.

Neat drive

I would not normally like a front garden that gives as much space to the car as this one does but there is compensation with the colour and construction of the drive and the brick-edged flower bed.

The wooden posts suggest that a gate is on the way and I hope that it lives up to what is behind it.

Unwieldy extension

This wrap-around extension in Riverside is approaching completion and the scale and appearance can now be judged. I am not convinced.

I think that the brick colour is not close enough to be a match nor different enough to be a contrast, the extra bulk makes the house look unwieldy and the front extension breaks the line of the neighbouring houses.

That said, it is clearly providing a lot more internal space and making good use of the side of the plot. And the neighbours that I spoke to had no complaints.

Horses grazing in field

I posted a picture of this fence when it was new, twelve years ago, but I have only just noticed the sign. It is rather neat and serves a good purpose so it is a shame that the advice is partially obscured by both the fence and some brambles.

Ground floor of 8 Sandy Lane

Normally when I look at the ground floor of a new building being built it looks much smaller that I know that it is going to be as, somehow, the lack of furniture makes it difficult to judge the scale. However, this is not the case with 8 Sandy Lane which is clearly going to be enormous.

The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten

I went to the corner of Sandy Lane and Clifford road to look at the current state of play of the two construction projects and I could not help but notice the large poster for The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten.

I have nothing to say on the book or on any relationship between the house and Ellen Alpsten but I can happily say that it is an attractive advertisement.