16 Sandy Lane

16 Sandy Lane boasts a "sold" sign and I expect the new owner will make signifcant changes to the property to make better use of the plot so I have posted this photo now as a reminder of what it used to look like. Assuming the changes are made then obviously I will post those too,

Good progress in Ashfield Close

I like what they are doing to 3 Ashfield Close. The changes look quite modest (especially when compared to the recent extension to number 5 which benefits from a much wider plot) and they suit the house well. As always, a good match on the bricks is a big help.

Last post

A few years ago several posts were installed on this corner of Parkleys to try and protect the border between the path and the road, but years of bad driving, in this the quietest of roads, has demolished all but one of them.

Turn Left Only

It is a few years since Richmond Chase, off Church Road, was a construction site but in their clean-up Berkley left behind this sign.

Demolishing Strathmore

The former Strathmore School building in Meadlands Drive is being cleared out and demolished and looks quite industrial at this stage.

A Bird in the Hand exposed

A Bird in the Hand, by Keith Goodwin, stands on the extrance to Parkleys and for many years it has been all but concealed by the vegetation around it, which I assume was not the original plan. The recent tree work in that section of Parkleys has opened up this view from Upper Ham Road.

The statue is best observed side-on so I am not sure that removing mature trees to create this view was a good idea,

Hole in the wall

32 Sandy Lane has a new front wall, of questionable merit but it may age well, and in that wall is a space that looks to be for a post box, judging by the house number above it. 

The house number also has questionable merit as it is already somewhat hard to read and weathering is only likely to make that worse.

Ugly spikes

Sadly the refurbishment of Teddington Footbridge has included the addition of spikes in this section. 

They are the sort of spikes used to keep pigeons off but here the target is children who like to jump off the bridge here into the river on hot days. Of course the spikes will not work, either they will find a way to remove or block them or they will find somewhere else, possibly more dangerous, to jump from.

Purple Plats

The Plats behind Ham House are looking resplendent with thousands of crocuses in regal bloom.

Corner extension

The trend of former social housing properties on corner plots being extended sideways continues with this example in Meadlands Drive. 

I am all for extensions which make better use of their plots but all against the Right to Buy that gave away this valuable land too cheaply and with no controls so that much of it is still rented but now the rent is paid to a private landlord and is much higher.

Elysium by Ellie Drake-Lee

This was probably my favourite piece in The Art Of Nature exhibition at Ham House and this setting did it proud.

The Art Of Nature at Ham House

Over half term (it has finished now!), Ham House held an exhibition in the grounds of works by local artists with the title The Art Of Nature. This is one of my favourites from the half a dozen or so exhibits; as the sign says, these are works in steel by Alison Catchlove.

Green bench

I last posted a picture of the entrance to Petersham & Ham Sea Scouts back in July and since then it has gained a neat bench. Clearly not designed for long stays, it has no back or arm rests, it is nonetheless somewhere pleasant to wait for a child.

Cricket club shed

The local cricket club has a shed that it uses for storage on the south side of Ham Common. It is a neat little shed, let down a little by the extension, and it deserves to be looked after so it is good to see some repairs being done. Hopefully they have found a matching paint for the finish.

Cut back, at last

Parkleys is rightly known for its landscaping and the grounds around the blocks are always well maintained so it has always been a mystery to be why the hedge between Tennyson Court and Upper Ham Road was allowed to grow to the extent that it was a serious obstruction to pedestrians. At last it has been cut back and the pavement is accessible again.

The bigger obstruction was at the top end of the Parade where a tree had completely blocked the pavement and it may have been this that caused the management team to take action.

Roof repairs

The roof of the main building of German School London is probably the most distinctive in the area and it sets the character for the building. Opinions are divided but I like it. And I like it just a little bit more when it is decorated with scaffolding poles. 

A much older school building, on the east edge of the site, next to Douglas House, has also had some roof repairs. The uneven colour of the roof shows a history of similar repairs and the latest will soon weather and mix in with the rest.

Major tree surgery

33/35 Ham Farm Road (one property, two numbers) has had major tree work done. A big tree that was far too close to the house has been cut down (I guess it will be removed completely) and the erratic hedge has been trimmed back. 

The work produced a lot of noise with more than one chainsaw in use at the same time and the debris was substantial, note the shredder in the background.

Ready for repairs

The No Waiting bollards are to keep Petersham Road free for overnight repairs which, so far, are being done keeping one lane open to traffic.

I had a look at a section of the road that has already beed done and the repairs there were pretty extensive, approximately half of the surface has been redone.

Incidentally, the road is so narrow in that section that I am surprised that on-street parking is allowed anyway.

Empty shops

I have shown all of these empty shops before individually and I wanted to show them collectively to make a point about the decline of Ham Parade and the chance to fix it that got turned down.

All three of these shops have been empty for some time with little sign that they are coming back to life. And alongside these empty shops there are three charity shops on the Parade which while in use are not regular shops.

 

These unused and little used shops show that Ham Parade is in a bad place and somethign needs to change if it is to thrive again. There was a proposal from Richmond Council to save the Parade by removing the slip roads and pedestrianising the east side. 

Remodelling areas to make more space for people, and a little less for cars, has consistently made those areas more popular with people, brought more footfall and helped the local businesses. It really was the obvious and best thing to do.

 

Sadly Richmond Council treated the consultation as a referendum and they took account of the number of negative voices rather than quality of any arguments they may have had aganst the scheme (there were no good arguments against the scheme). So nothing is going to change and Ham Parade's decline will continue.

Ferry Open

Hammertons Ferry, by Ham House, has a new sign announcing its operating hours. 

It is a little surprising that it operates as much as it does, e.g. all winter, and that supports the argument that the much discussed proposal for a new footbridge in that area is worth pursuing. Personally I would like to see another bridge as I do a lot of walking at night, when the ferry is not operating, and the lack of bridges is a real constraint on where I can go.

Growing sideways

As I said earlier, one of the reasons that I am interested in the redevelopment of this house in Ham Street is because I had been inside a few times but there are other reasons, those being it is a major change to what was originally a fairly small house and, thanks to its location, it is easy to see the work from several angles.

This angle shows the size of the side extension which takes the end of terrace property to the edge of the site.

Large family

I was strolling along Meadlands Drive when I came across this mum looking after a large brood (with dad standing nearby) all of whom have managed to squeeze under her for comfort and safety.

Fenced off

While the view of the footbridge is excelent from the lower path further on, at this point the view is spoilt by a long stretch of temporary fencing.

Reinforcing the island

The ambition of the Ham Pond island restoration project is shown by the substantial metalwork installed to define the new extent of the island. It looks like a modest enlargement but the main point will be to provide some sort of permanence.

Randle Road extension

All the little changes being made to individual houses add up and gradually change the appearance of an area, like this rear extension in Randle Road (viewed from Craig Road) that matches that of its neighbour. Soon it will be hard to remember when dormer windows were rare and something to be commented on.

Best view of the bridge

The simpler of the two spans of the Teddington Footbridge is still very pretty, especially when recently repainted and viewed from the lower path on the upstream side. 

The upper path has the better surface and so is much busier and while its height improves the views across the river these are sometimes blocked by trees in which case the lower path is a better place to be.