Broughton Avenue signs

Now that I have started taking a close look at local street signs I am finding more and more interesting ones and I think that these two in Broughton Avenue by the junction with Ashburnham Road are interesting.

The one above has limited interest on its own though it is rather worn, lacks the word "Ham", and is an inconvenient distance away from the junction.

On the other side of the road the sign is clearly different with the street name squeezed on to one line and with "Avenue" abbreviated to achieve this. Otherwise the signs look similar enough to suggest that they were installed in the same era.

Daffodils

One of the most charming features of Wates Estate is the many partially hidden landscaped squares that you have to make an effort to find. That effort is well rewarded when you discovered a square like this one on Kingfisher Drive rich with daffodils. 

Lammas Road sign has a new home

A year ago I posted a picture of this sign for Lammas Road hanging precariously off the front of a house and it is good to see that it has since found a safer home on a gate.

Repairs and more damage

I went along Ham Parade specifically to take a photo of the new posts that I saw being installed to replace those removed by one reckless and dangerous driver only to see the damage done to the traffic island by another. 

Walking in and around Ham Parade is becoming increasingly difficult because of drivers like these and those that park obstructing the crossings.

Buddha in Mariner Gardens

This Buddha is in a corner of Mariner Gardens where its secrecy is aided by things in the garden, hence this unusual angle.

Dismembered tree

At the junction of Cave Road and Hardwicke Road a neatly dismembered tree lies waiting for the next step on its journey.

Old and new road signs

This should be my last post on street signs for a while! I picked these two, close together in the Locksmeade development, to contrast the old and the new. Above is an old one.

 

The new sign looks very different with its lighter and slightly serifed typeface and its "no through road" symbol. Every road in Locksmeade is a no through road and I do not think that any one has ever thought otherwise so the symbol seems to be unnecessary.

Artistically the sign looks good but I question the legibility of the light typeface and the distraction of the no through road symbol.

Two similar signs

I am not sure if I am becoming obsessed with street signs and even less sure that it is a problem if I am. These two are, obviously, in Locksmeade and while they are very similar it is their differences that interest me.

Oddly the sign with the longest name as more white space either side of it, the word "Ham" is in different positions and the arrows are different length. And, while the typefaces look the same, I think that the one on the right is slightly bolder, though I did not have a tape measure on me to check it with.

Hidden garden

The Locksmeade estate is a confusing collection of curved roads and it takes some effort to explore every part of this. In trying to do just that on a recent visit I came across the well hidden garden between  Headway Close and Fisherman Close that can only be accessed by the footpath that runs between them and Beaufort Court.

I had found this space before but then it was just a paved area looking for a purpose and now somebody has risen to the challenge and done some attractive planting.

The National Cycle Network needs you

Sustrans were around at the weekend drumming up support for The National Cycle Network and were using this eye-catching poster to start conversations.

Sustrans is a charity making it easier for everyone to walk, wheel and cycle and, as a keen walker, I have been a supporter of theirs for several years. They are the custodians of the National Cycle Network, a UK-wide network of traffic-free paths for everyone, connecting cities, towns and countryside, which runs through Richmond Park and crosses the Thames at Teddington.

Holes in the road

These two large holes in the road, by the traffic island on Dukes Avenue, are a recurring feature and I last commented on them almost exactly three years ago.

I do not know anything like enough on the construction of roads to understand why they keep reappearing here but it would seem that more substantial repairs are needed to keep them away.

Pavement repairs

I do not recall this stretch of pavement being particularly bad but somebody did and now it is being replaced. This is the section that runs along Ashburnham Road from Willow Bank.

Two incidental points here. 

I still find it odd that Ashburnham bends in a right-angle at the church and, given this distinct change of direction and the different characters of each part, I think it would have been better if this had been named as two roads. Secondly, 

I do like the landscaping in Wates Estate but the pavements frustrate me as the paths like these diverge from the roads and so take a longer route and there is no pavement next to the roads to use instead. It would be better if (when?) we had some serious traffic reduction measures in place so we could walk down the road too.

Electrical works

This trench has been dug by UK Power Networks in Royal Park Gate Open Space, that is the open space between the Royal Park Gate housing development and the river. I was a little surprised to discover that the distribution network ran through there but the cables do not lie.

Incidentally, one of the companies that was bought to create UK Power Networks was EDF Energy Networks who used to manage the electricity distribution network across London and I did a little work for them back in 2010. My main memory was of the need to get into the Southwark Street office by 8am to be sure of getting a seat in the very oversubscribed open plan seating area.

The Ballet Boutique has moved

The Ballet Boutique arrived on Ham Parade four years ago, replacing Dance Active, but now it has moved.

It is a real shame that it has gone, it means that there are now three empty units on the Parade (though one is in the process of being reoccupied) and it was a different kind of shop that added some welcome variety to the Parade.

New fence panels

This section of Dukes Avenue is lined with aged grey fence panels on both sides so when some get replaced it is rather obvious.

Copy-cat gardens

This line of houses runs from Riverside Drive to Breamwater Gardens and, for some reason, they have gone for similar, if not quite identical, gardens. Their flatness gives them the impression that the original ground work has been done and the planting will be done next. 

The few pots do add a little interest and perhaps there will be a few more once the warmer weather arrives.

Preparation

The short row of houses in Upper Ham Road always look a little grubby because of their proximity to the busy road so it is no surprise to see that this one is getting a refresh.

So far only the lower level has been prepared which suggests that this is the only part that is being refreshed which, in turn, suggests that it is staying white. I hate to say it but this is one place where grey might be a good idea.

Katey's

The last time I posted a picture of this pavilion in Riverside Drive was in 2012 and then the sign was less prominent and was for Little Hamsters Play Cafe. This is a similar business to Katey's Nursery and Pre-school but I do not know if they are related in any way.

More tidying up in Wates Estate

Someone has been busy in Wates Estate in recent weeks tidying up bushes and small trees that had outgrown their attractiveness and it is looking decidedly better as a result.

This neat line of bushes is in Mariner Gardens.

 

This collection of bushes on the corner of Broughton Avenue and Watermill Close is not as neat but is still much better than it was before and the visibility is better too.

Ham Close (still)

I have posted a few similar pictures of Ham Close over the years, starting in 2014(!), with the comment that I wanted to capture the development before it is demolished and, somehow, it is still there. The most recent proposals have got planning permission so, hopefully, changes will start soon.

Pictures like this show why change is needed; the buildings are distinctly boring, verging on ugly even, and there are large spaces between them that do not do anything useful or pretty.

Red gate

The cottages in Ham Street are mostly white with white fences so a splash of bright red really stands out. I appreciate that it matches the front door but the gate is visible from a much longer stretch of the road and so it is the contrast that is noticed before the coordination.

Curved borders

I really like this new garden and spent some time trying to find an angle that could do it justice in one picture.

This is the house on the corner of Lock Road and the little spur of Back Lane and so, like many people, I walk past it regularly. It cheers me up every time that I do so.

Of course things like the wall and railings are nice but what really makes the garden for me is the various curved borders which are so much more interesting than straight lines.

Demolished posts

I did not see the accident that caused this damage but the extend of it suggests some very bad driving. Four posts have been demolished (only three are shown here) and the impact on the furthest one ripped up some of the pavement and has left an oil stain.

Finished gate

Last month I appreciated the work in progress on replacing this gate in Petersham and now that it is finished I am even more appreciative.

The main change is the brickwork around the gate which includes a new lintel, maintaining the integrity of the wall. The colour of the gate is modern but subtle and very much suits the location.

The Gyro Club

What was, briefly, Reji Grill in Ham Street is going to be The Gyro Club.

To me, "gyro" was always an abbreviation for gyroscope but that is clearly not the meaning here so I enlisted the help of DuckDuckGo (that's Google without all the tracking nonsense) which informed me that gyro is also cones of meat cooked on a vertically rotating skewer.

Rear extension

Work on rear extensions is not usually as obvious as this where the rare view is provided by the passage way from Dukes Avenue to Maguire Drive.

This house was sold last year and the new owners are making substantial changes to it, in addition to the work at the back there is work to the side where a new wall can just about be seen through the trellising above the fence.

Keep dogs off grass

The gate to Parkleys on Ham Farm Road has a new sign that more or less copies the older one above it which has become hard to read with age.

I love the distinctive branding of the new sign with its unusual colour and typeface, though that is tinged with concern that the flamboyant serifs and closely packed bold text may make it harder to read for some people.

Tree surgery

A few weeks ago I posted about bushes on Riverside Drive, just off to the right of this picture, being cut back (in a good way) and the good work has continued. The tree has been pollarded, the messy offshoots have been removed and the bushes along Rushmead have been trimmed.

23 Ham Common

Little House, on the corner of Ham Common and New Road, in number 23 and the refreshed white background makes that more obvious.

Red roof

This new roof being shared by two cottages in New Road are looking belligerently red in their newness, though not quite as red as the chute.

Private property

The small "Private Property" sign rising above the bushes at the entrance to Langham House Close is a lot more effective than the larger one buried in amongst them.