Greedy Hare coming soon

The short-lived Lahore Brasserie in Ham Street is set to become another food outlet, Greedy Hare. It announces itself as a "Real Italian", which is something of a surprise as it has a very English name and is next door to CC Pizza.

The name reminds me so much of "Fursty Ferret", a very drinkable ale from Badger Brewery. 

Light pollution

Unfortunately the camera software in my iPhone has automatically "improved" this picture to show more detail and in doing so it has masked just how bright these lights are.

This is the Kew and Ham Sports Association site on Riverside Drive, close to the Ashburnham Road mini roundabout, and these excessive lights must be having an impact on the wildlife on Ham Lands.

Pipe sections

Parkleys Sewage Pumping Station is well screened at the moment while works are in progress but a narrow gap between two plastic sheets allows the curious to see inside where two pipe sections are on display. 

I found it interesting to see the size of the pipes and although I was not sure what to expect they are a little larger than I thought that they might be.This helps to set the scale for the river abstraction works that Thames Water are planning for the area.

Renovations in Ham Street

This house in Ham Street changed hands recently and the new owners seem to be doing quite a bit to it.

As always, there is a lot that could go wrong here, such as the inappropriate windows that the neighbours went for, and I will be watching development with interest; particularly as this is a house I have been inside many times.

Another border stone

I posted a picture of an old border stone by the towpath yesterday which is easy to spot because it is next to a larger stone but this one is much harder to find. Actually, it is a little easier to find now that I have pulled all the ivy away from it to take this photo. 

It is hidden amongst the bushes that run just outside the boundary of Cassel Hospital on the green triangle between Dukes Avenue and Craig Road, at the Craig Road end.

Border stones

The big stone on the right marks the boundary between Kingston and Richmond and is a prominent feature along the towpath. The small stone on the left is its predecessor and also marks this boundary.

The smaller stone is buried in vegetation for much of the year and it only in winter that you can see the two stones together.

Expanding in several directions

This is another house in Maguire Drive that has chosen to take advantage of its unusually shaped plot to expand in several directions. A lot of the work is at the back and this view shows the odd-angled extension to the side plus the fairly standard porch.

Unroadworthy vehicle

I think it is safe to say that this vehicle "parked" in Burnell Avenue is unroadworthy. I think it is being worked on, or being stripped for parts, but while this is going on it creates a doleful image and hurts the character of the road.

Malcolm's bench

Malcolm Singleton was a prominent feature of Ham Parade for over twenty years running a small shop that somehow seemed to sell everything and everyone went there to buy things, so it is no surprise that when he died suddenly in 2022 the local community raised funds for a memorial which has now arrived on Ham Parade.

The design is a joyful jumble of images of some of the things lurking in the Aladdin's Cave that was M&J Hardware. It is a very fitting tribute to Malcolm.

Play area upgrade

Ham Village Green has been the source of many good stories in recent years and this is another on. 

The play area next to the bus stop was mostly a collection of rocks and logs and now an area has been cleared for some interesting play equipment. And not at all obvious from this angle, are some new swings just about visible behind the step ladder.

A big job

The way that the areas of social housing were layed out across Ham created several houses with large corner plots and in recent years a lot of the owners of these have been extending their houses into this extra space. This house is in Maguire Drive, on the corner with Vancouver Road.

The overall design and the choice of bricks are good but I have the usual (deep) reservations about the grey windows and doors.

FD08 GRF

This is another occasion when complaining about bad parking has a serious point behind it; just before I took this photo someone on a mobility scooter tried to cross at this point and was unable to do so. This what selfish parking does.

A welcome replacement

It is good to see that the unique curved bench on Ham Village Green that first arrived in 2019 has been replaced following an act of vandalism, as have the mosaics behind it.

Ham Village Green is a jewel in Ham's crown, much more so that the neglected Ham Common, thanks to innovations like this setting.

Jude obscured

The scaffolding around the former Jude Gate, on Jam Common north-side, has been covered in sheeting and while that is not unexpected it does make it harder for curious people to see the progress being made. I am particularly interested in the fenestration on the first floor and I may have to wait some time to see this.

New sign for The Hand and Flower

The new sign at The Hand and Floweris something of a spot the difference puzzle beacuase it is very like the old one but there are differences. I cheated and looked at an old photo I took last year before the pub reopened. 

 

The main differences are that the sign has moved from the south corner of the pub to the north, the image is gold rather than silver and there is no longer a border around the image.

Fabric tree

Christmas has come to Ham Parade with the arrival of this large tree-shaped decoration in the south-east corner. The tree is made of fabric squares and is adorned with a few fabric decorations that can be identified by their shapes.

Keep Left

Following the recent death of a person using this traffic island to cross the road, Richmond Council has reinforced the "keep left" message on the bollards with an elevated sign.

While this may help a little the main problem is that Ham Parade is busy with shops on both sides which leads to many people crossing and it is also a road that suffers (even) more than most from bad driving thanks to the acceleration from the lights going north and the fast approach past Ham Common going south.

Signs of progress in Ashfield Close

On a previous visit to Ashfield Close, back in July, work was only just starting on this house and now it is well underway. The sheeting hides some of the detail but, luckily for the curious, there is still enough to see to make the walk down the no-through-road worth the effort.

The most obvious changes are that the garages have gone and the wooden boards on the right side of the house have been removed.

Temporary path

While the work being done on this house in Mariner Gardens is largely obscured by trees a temporary path across the grass confirms that something interesting is going on.