Works completed at Ham House

The current stage of the major works to Ham House have completed and the scaffolding has gone to reveal the house in its familiar beauty.  I like scaffolding (I really like scaffolding!) but I like this view of Ham House even home and it is good to see it return in time for the warmer, brighter and longer days.

A closer look at the side of the house tells us that the maintenance work included some fresh paint, another welcome improvement.

Missing bench

This is the Ham Farm Road end of Parkleys and the paving marks the spot where a south-facing bench used to be enjoyed by the residents. I have to assume that it will be replaced soon because it was popular, and understandably so.

White paint

I posted a picture of this fencing above a wall in Woodville Road when it was added in 2019 and then it was left as plain wood. Five years later it has all been painted white and draws attention to the property. I am not convinced that it works but that just may be its newness and the initial surprise in seeing it.

New surface

While the work done on Teddington Lock Footbridge has brighted it up and, presumably, improved its structure it has not has much impact on me as someone who walks across it regularly. That started to change when the section on the slope up from the Ham side got a new surface, replacing the one which was quite uneven, especially along the joins between the sections. This is a noticeably nicer walk.

The two questions I have are how quickly will it be before this new section deteriorates like the old one and is anything being done to improve the surface of the central section?

25 Ham Farm Road demolished

The demolition of 25 Ham Farm Road is happening at pace and there is little of the house remaining, other than as rubble.

I took this photos a few days later after watching a skip lorry struggle through Parkleys bringing an empty skip and collecting one full of rubble; the filming further along Ham Farm Road had blocked access that way.

Tree erased

I was surprised to see the tree at the entrance to Martingaes Close being removed and even more surprised to find that this was not to replace it with some better planting but with cold grey stone. The tree was not very special but at least it was a tree and that is so much better than not having anything there at all.

And they have not even remodelled the island to make it easier to cross the stupidly wide entrance to a small unimportant road.

I also note that some of the powers behind the (awful name) Ham and Petersham Association and Amenities Group live in Martingales Close and their inability to stop this destruction on their doorstep does not say much for their ability to "preserve and secure our environment".

A tree's last day

While I do a lot of walking at night I do not take many photos then, for obvious reasons, and I only took this one to remind me to go back to the entrance of Martingales Close (on Ham Common) the next day to capture the works in daylight but when I went back workmen were busy there and the tree had been dug up.

This new work surprised me because some work was done on this little traffic island only a year ago and after that I remarked that it looked neater and safer.

Daffodils at Ham House

Being a member of National Trust means that I can pop-in to Ham House for a quick look around the fardens whenever I am walking in that area and I do so many times a year because there is always something interesting to see. On this visit I was charmed by the daffodils.

The main display is in the beds in the Kitchen Garden (top picture) and there are others around the gardens, like this one along a border.

Working on Langham House

I have been running this blog for so long that some patterns are starting to emerge and one of these is the maintenance of Langham House on the south-west side of Ham Common. I noted maintenance work in 2008 and in 2016, and it is happening again in 2024. You do not have to be a competitor on Only Connect to work out that is every eight years.

Resurfacing Dukes Avenue at night

Another attempt is being made to resurface Dukes Avenue, this time at night. Signs like this appeared at the end of last year saying that Dukes Avenue would be resurfaced during the day on 5 December but they disappeared the day before the work was scheduled to be done.

Jude Gate revealed

Having been hidden behind plastic sheets for several months, the new Jude Gate has been revealed. It is not the most inspiring building but it design fits in very well with its uninspiring neighbours on the north side of Ham Common.

Incidentally, Jude Gate was the name of the previous house and I do not know yet if they are keeping the name for the new one. I hope that they do and that we get an impressive house number sign that is at least as good as the old one.

Worn bridge

The bridge connecting Douglas Footpath to the towpath was constructed in 2008 and is starting to show its age with part of the surface sloping slightly. It is not yet unsafe or impassable but its days are clearly numbered.

Water works

There seems to be work going on inside the former dance shop on Ham Parade and there is more obvious work going on outside too. Hopefully this means that this shop will be back in use soon.

Wet Woods

Much of Ham Common Woods is naturally wet, hence the toads, but I have not often seen it as wet as this. This pond has covered the base of the fence around it and has spread beyond its normal boundaries.

Many of the paths through the Woods are very muddy and this one has gone a step further and turned into a pond.

Blackout

When the entrance to The Old Vicarage in Petersham was rebuilt in 2016 it gained a lovely front gate only now that gate has been hidden by ugly solid black metal sheets. I guess it adds a little more privacy but at quite a cost.

This is exactly the opposite approach taken by the bigger, and grander, Forbes House on Ham Common which, despite being much closer to a busier road, removed its similar sheets in 2021.

Starbarks is coming to Ham Parade

I am not sure that Ham Parade needs another cafe, particularly one with such a bad pun in its name, but time will be the proof of that and perhaps there is a demand for a cafe that does dog grooming.

Pattern in the wall

The old wall on Ham Street either side of Eveyn Road has a story to tell and this pattern in the bricks is part of it. Other components in the story are the two low pillars either side of Evelyn Road, the curve in the walls as they stoop down to the pillars and the permanently closed gate at the end of the road.

Hiding 29 Ham Farm Road

There is a shared character in Ham Farm Road and number 29 has chosen to ignore it.

That character is one of openness with either no front boundary or a very low one. And that is set back from the pavement as the first metre or so of land is Common Land. This is usually just grass or small plants.

Number 29 wanted to build a front wall with railings and settled for a mid-sized wall (barely visible) with a dense hedge in front of it. This is not how the rest of the street looks.

I fail to see why this has been done. Privacy is not an issue as so few people walk along there and a substantial hedge hides the view of Ham Common Woods, which surely is the whole point of living there.

GK16 BNJ

LP23 UDL

A new school garden

The entrance to St Richard’s CE Primary School is in Ashburnham Road and the site stretches across to Woodville Road and it is from there that this new garden can be seen.

I like the business of the scene with the new beds ringed by a frame, glasshouse, plastic greenhouse and two compost  bins.

22 Sandy Lane

Sandy Lane is generally a good place to go for fans of scaffolding as there always seems to be at least one house that is having major work done to it. On this day it was number 22.

CC Pizza goes green

I am quite impressed at the job my subconcious brain does in alerting me to things that have changed, as it did on this day as I was walking down Ham Street. CC Pizza is quite well hidden by buildings and plants until you get quite close but a partial glimpse of the vivid green was enough to note the change.

The green is so much smarter than the previous white and red, and not just because it is new paint. I really like it.

Back Lane planters

It is almost exactly ten years since these planters were created in Back Lane and while they got off to a bright start in recent years they have been neglected so it was great to see them restored and in bloom.

Managed tree

Managing woodlands means that occasionally some trees have to be cut down, e.g. when they become a threat to people or property, and while this is a loss it is a natural loss and in its demise the tree can still be useful as a source of food and shelter for animals.

And the wound caused by its cutting down will soon be healed and it will be easy to forget that there ever was a healthy tree at this point on Church Road.

Work starts at 25 Ham Farm Road

The saga of 25 Ham Farm Road is already a couple of years old and the main story has only just begun.  

In March 2022 a Planning Application was submitted to demolish the house and replace it with something similar. This was rejected in May that year but was allowed on appeal in April 2023. Another year on and the work has started with the clearance of the front garden and a construction is a fence and a large gate.

High waters

The river has been high for long periods recently and elsewhere (e.g. Mortlake) I have had to take detours when walking along Thames Path. Locally the best place to observe the swollen river has been Teddington Footbridge.

The most obvious sign of the height of the water is that the Skiff Lock (on the far left) has all but disappeared under the water.

On the Teggigton side the water has crept up toward The Anglers making the bridge look even more impressive than usual.

New windows

The side of the former Royal Oak / Ham Institute that faces onto Sandy Lane had gained two new windows as it transitions from a community venue to a private house.

Something new in Buckingham Road

It is not obvious from this angle is this new construction in Buckingham Road is an extension to the house or a separate building but, for me, all that matters is that is a a change to the streetscape and so it gets noted here.

As it has one small window I am assuming that it is a shed!

It looks fairly impermanent, due to the materials used, though with decent weatherproofing it should last for a few decades and that is probably all that the owner needs of it.

Greedy Hare is open

Greedy Hare is a welcome new arrival to the parade of shops on the corner of Ham Street and Ashburnham Road. Judging by the interior decor and ambience it is aiming for more than just the student market and so gives regular cafe goers, like myself, another nice option. 

On my first visit I had just a coffee and a cake, because I was there at coffee and cake time, but I am sure that I will be trying the savoury foods before long. I will also be back for more coffee and cake!