Another new porch

There seems to have been a flurry of new porches in the Buckingham Road area.

I am something of a fan of the simple original porches but I can see why they are being replaced (they offer very little protection from the weather) and I like that there is a consistency, in this area at least, in what they are being replaced with. The design is simple and is spot-on, brick built with a pitched roof.

Unsafe memorial

Several gravestones in St Andrew's, on Church Road, have been marked as unsafe.

The signs are eye=catching, as they should be, but are not very attractive so I hope that they are just a prelude to some restoration work to make them all safe again.

Pumpkins on display

This impressive display of pumpkins is in the kitchen garden at Ham House.

Second Hand?

I spent too many hours proof reading business documents at work not to spot this.

This should be "secondhand" because it is one word in this context, when written as two words it means part of a clock face. To make matters worse, the very tight kerning of the letters with some even overlapping, e.g. the final "O" and "P", means that the erroneous space between the words is more obvious.

Gunam Cottage

A famous red brick has got some company.

The red brick at 7 Upper Ham Road featured here in 2009 and pops up in local forums from time to time. Following extensive renovations of the property it has been joined by both a house name, Gunam Cottage, and a rather pretty number 7.

Individually all three signs have their merits but I think that they clash more than the compliment each other.

Immaculate fence

This is the second time that I have commented on the fence on the north side of Dukes Avenue by Craig Road.

Way back in 2008 (!) I admired the haphazard nature of the fence that was then made up of uneven lengths of grey wood. It had its charm but its days were always numbered and that day has been reached. The new fence is uniform and pristine, it looks like a photo from a "how to construct a fence" article.

It is very different from the old fence and I like the new one too, just for different reasons.

Incident at Mervyn Smith

Just a few months after tastefully rebranding their shop, Mervyn Smith have had to stop using it, and a look through their front door shows why.

They moved into action quickly and the empty unit two down, formerly The Ballet Boutique, has been taken over and is now open.

Porch reconstruction

Most of the work on Gordon House is hidden behind hoardings so it is nice to be able to see the scope of the work being done to the porch through the front gate.

New bollards

I had not noticed bad parking being much of a problem in Buckingham Road but somebody thinks it is and has installed bollards to address the problem. As with bollards elsewhere, it will be interesting to see how long they remain intact for.

Light down

This street light is lying down on the verge of Ham Farm Road, presumably after being hit by something substantial.

Twins

There is always a risk when one half of a pair of semis gets renovated but when two do then the results are unlikely to be sympathetic. It is too early to cast a verdict on these houses in Dysart Avenue but the different window choices are already an issue.

Worn out bridge

Earlier this year I noted that the bridge connecting Douglas Footpath to the towpath, constructed in 2008, was starting to show its age, other people noticed too and now it is being repaired. At least I hope it is and it is not just going to be closed for ages because it is unsafe.

Wet colours

Another change that the new owners at Fox and Duck have made is to introduce colourful tables and chairs outside. They seem a little at odds with the traditional style of the rest of the pub but they seem to be quite popular and that is all that matters. 

The reasons the tables are empty here are because it was raining and I was the last person to leave the pub that night.

New signs and lights

The Fox and Duck changed hands recently and the new owners have made a few tweaks, including new illuminated signs at the front and side. I chose to prioritise the one at the side simply because the sun was shining on it at the time.

Fallen trees

Two trees have fallen down in Cut Throat Alley (off Ham Street) but they are being held up by the high wall to The Palm Centre so the path is still easily passable on foot.

This is dangerous

I can only assume that people ignore the No Dogs signs at Petersham Meadows because they think that they are there to protect the cows whereas it is to protect them. 

Walking through there with dogs is dangerous, getting close to the cows is madness and doing so with children is reckless stupidity. Only this week the BBC has carried the story. "Woman took cow photo before trampling death".

This was the worst example I saw this day but there were several other people in the field with dogs and previously I had pointed out the signs to a posh mother with a young child and her immediate response was, "I don't care".  

The rules are there for a reason and ignoring them does get people killed and injured. The BBC goes into some depth here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-54268160.

Sixteen

Sixteen Sandpits is another house sign that passes the readability test with some style. 

I've tried to identify the font and one website has suggested Betm Rounded Regular which seems to be a good fit judging by the unusual "t" with the top left section filled in and the "S" with a larger upper section.

Red cascade

Every autumn the ivy on Langham House, on Ham Common, creates a stunning display of cascading reds.

The Legless Frog lingers

While The Legless Frog has long gone (and become The Hand and Flower again) this barely readable sign on Ham Parade remains as a reminder of what once was.

CYCLE FiRST

The former Ashburn Carpets unit in Ashburnham Road was not empty for that long. The plastic sheeting keeps some of the shop a mystery for the moment but early signs are good with a clean look, clear signage and a neat logo.

Badger

I was walking along Dukes Avenue just after 10pm (I had been in Teddington for some beers and a meal with friends) when I came across this badger. Normally badgers scuttle away when they see me but this one seemed to be too engrossed with the leaves, and what they might contain, to notice me and having taken a few photographs I crept away in a different direction.

Glass roof

I posted a few pictures of the construction of this extension, on the corner of Lock Road and Back Lane, and it was remiss of me to not post a picture of the finished job as I think that it looks rather good and very much in keeping with the rest of the house and the area.

Protective roof

Obviously I have no idea of the schedule for the new build in Ham Farm Road but I was a little surprised to see so little activity over the recent weeks especially as the timber construction was exposed to the regular rain we have been getting this year. That has now been fixed with the installation of a roof.

Store Closed

My attempts to buy organic semi-skimmed milk were thwarted on Sunday morning when Sainsbury's was closed for a "technical issue", the nature of which is rather obvious.

A little clearance

I like Great South Avenue the most when it is left to be wild but I can understand why the section next to one of the gate houses has been cleared. Luckily the house is wortthy of the extra exposure with its characterful walls and roofs.

26 Petersham Road

As fonts used for house numbers go this is one of the most stylish. It has a lovely Art Deco feel to it, which is always a good thing. And most importantly, they are very easy to read.

Bridge closures

In my defence this Advance Warning sign is on the north side of Teddington Footbridge so I had not read it when trying to cross the bridge late at night  the other week so I had to abandon my beer plans. 

The coming weekend closure is also an issue as I have been known to go to the Open Mic at The Hogarth on a Sunday night, as do other people from Ham and North Kingston. Other arrangement will have to be made.

Briony's Memorial Garden

The limited landscaping at the current Ham Close development is a few raised beds on the lawns, one of which carries a lovely sign announcing that it is Briony's Memorial Garden. The sign is a little old and battered but I hope that there is a place for it in the new Ham Close.

New gates

I few weeks ago I posted a picture of the old gates here with designs for the new gates posted on them, and this is the result. They fit their setting perfectly and the brashness of being new will quickly fade and they will look as though they have been their comfortably forever.

Shrine

Sadly there have been a few shines constructed in Ham in recent years and while most either get removed after a while or get renewed on anniversaries, like the one on Dukes Avenue, this one on Petersham Road endures.