Raised panels

Generally I like to see solar panels on roofs though I was a little surprised these in Buckingham Road raised above the roofline so that they are very visible from the road. They could also prove to be an attractive place for pigeons, as mine were when I first installed them!

Two signs

The signs at the entrance to this footpath off River Lane have changed and been added to over recent years and, somehow, I had missed posting the one to Rosebank before.

Flowery shed

This flowery shed brightens up every walk I take along Ashburnham Road.

Bridge repaired

I posted a picture of this bridge connecting Douglas Footpath to the towpath when it was closed for repairs and those repairs have now been done leaving only a change in colour as evidence.

Two times 16

Sixteen Sandy Lane wants you to be sure that this is number sisxteen so it has the house number on both gate posts.

Roof timbers

It is hard to monitor progress on Little Cottage, on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue, because there are no gaps in the hoardings and I have not been lucky in catching the gate open so the only visible area is the roof so I was plad to catch some action in that area with roof timbers being added to the metal frame.

Butterflies

I really like the way that the decorations on this post are refreshed periodically, this time with butterflies.

Trees removed in Parkleys

This small patch of land, where Parkleys meets Ham Farm Road, has had some adventures in recent months, including the removal of a line of trees in front of the fence on the right which was then replaced. 

The latest change is the removal of two mature fir trees at the far end of the plot (one of the stumps can be seen in the middle) leaving the area almost empty of vegetation.

Let us hope that there is a more positive story for this plot still to come.

Long grass

I do not understand Richmond Council's approach to verge mowing with areas that were left to grow previously being cut this year, e.g. Broughton Avenue, so I was pleased to see some grass left to grow naturally in Sandy Lane.

GG LOC

It is not that unusual to come across a film crew locally but this is the first time that I have done so in Ashfield Close. 

It was the "GG LOC" sign at the entrance to Ceadar Heights that alerted me to the filming but I was intending to check up on those roads anyway.

The Walled Garden

This is quite a modest sign is terms of size and colour but it is sufficient to its purpose of confirming that the gate next to is indeed that to The Walled Garden at the entrance to Sudbrook Gardens.

Temporary repairs

A few weeks ago I mentioned that several of the posts placed at the entrance to Great South Avenue on the north side of Ham Common had been destroyed by incompetent drivers and since then it looks as though at least two of the posts have been reinstated and at least one of those has been knocked out again.

It all seems rather pointless and I will not mention these posts again unless Richmond Council get serious and use a more serious deterrent for bad driving.

I have only mentioned them at all because they are a visual measure of the threats pedestrians face constantly from bad drivers whether crossing the road or just walking along the pavement.

Red bricks

There are two gates into the Ham Close redevelopment site and this is the view through the one at the Ashburnham Road end of the development. Luckily the gate was open as I walked past this time revealing that red bricks are being used in this block, whereas yellow bricks are being used at the other end of the site. 

This use of mixed colours should break up the development visually making it more interesting and much less oppressive.

Bute Gardens

Bute Gardens comprises the first few houses in Sudbrook Lane, e.g. an example of a formal address here is 1A Bute Gardens, Sudbrook Lane, Richmond TW10 7AZ, and this decidedly less formal sign marks its presence. 

New gate for Old Vicarage

When the entrance to The Old Vicarage in Petersham was rebuilt in 2016 it gained a lovely front gate only for that gate to be hidden by ugly solid black metal sheets in 2024, so the band new gate is an improvement on what was there immediately before it but not on what was there before that.

New gate to Langham House

This new, and decidedly modern, gate is to the side entrance of Langham House. Elsewhere it would look great but, for me, it looks a little out of place in an old wall in front of an old building and it would be better in black which is the dominant colour of gates in that area.

Still, it is a nice gate and I dare say that it will grow on me.

Filling the frame

Now that the concrete frame of The Hive (the new community centre being built on Ham Village Green) has been completed the walls are being filled in with breeze blocks and it is starting to look like a building.

Otter

It is always worth walking down what look like less interesting roads because, sometimes, you find interesting things like this otter.

Stokes House door

The wall work at Stokes House is all but complete, there are a couple of pillars still to do, and the latest change is the arrival of a delightfully traditional new front door.

There is a lot to like about the door and its setting and as a deliverer of the Ham and Petersham Magazine I am particularly pleased to see a good sized letterbox and a decent height.

Freeholds for sale

The "For Sale By Auction" signs are not an immediate worry but the auctioneer website says, "The lots offer a variety of potential different uses/further developments" and "The site has previously had a positive pre app commercial, residential & mixed use development with an additional 2.5 stories."

The threat is not immediate as both tenants have leases running to 2029 but that is only four years away.

A new road

As the blocks in the first stage of the Ham Close development take shape so does the road between them. This is the view looking south from Woodville Road.

Not white

The rule here is clearly that fences must be white so it is a shame that somebody has chosen to break ranks and pick a different colour. The one saving grace is that it matches the front door but that is not a good enough excuse.

Dysart construction

Any construction project locally interests me, even one as small as this one in Dysart Avenue.

Untypical Wates Estate

A few days ago I posted a typcal view of Wates Estate and, in contrast, here is an untypical one. This is one of the hidden squares off Ashburnham Road which one of the residents has decided to decorate with artificial grass and fish carvings.

Ham House

Another visit to Ham House means another excuse to post a picture of it.

To Petersham Nurseries

This wall at the entrance to the narrow path leading east of River Lane has two more signs lower down pointing the way to Richmond and Ham which makes it easy to overlook this one.

Typical Wates Estate

Wates Estate is a lovely part of Ham thanks to its layout and associated landscaping. These houses  are on Broughton Avenue are typical and a joy to walk past.

Hollybush House alterations

I knew that work was being done to Hollybush House in Church Road and I thought that it was all on the ground floor and would be hidden behind the hoardings so I was a little surprised to discover work in progress on some first floor windows.

The hoardings are up to the highest current standard showing both what the revised house will look like and confirming the house name (top centre).

Wood over metal

I am intrigued by construction of the new house, where Little Cottage used to sit on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue, because it began unusually with a steel frame. To this a wooden structure is being added.

Wall work

The wall work at Stokes House in Ham Street continues to interest me and it has progressed noticeable since I last posted a picture of it a couple of weeks ago. It has gained caping stones along the top and a slightly wider section along the bottom.

Kitchen Garden at Ham House

The Kitchen Garden at Ham House is always a delight and even more so when it is as abundent as this.

Ham Close Exit Only

I was drawn into taking this photo by the new "Ham Close Exit Only" sign and it also gives me an excuse to post an update on the Ham Close redevelopment where two of the first blocks have gained a second storey.

Enticing paths

While I can appreciate Ham Lands intellectually for its biodiversity, I am not a naturalist and what stirs my heart there is the network of paths with unknown destinations.

Newark Lodge after another refresh

I posted a picture of Newark Lodge as it was being refurbished in 2011 but not of the end result then I missed posting a picture of the recent refurbishment in progress so it makes good sense to show it in its full glory now that the second refresh is complete.

If this was my house then I would be very pleased with the result. The grey band at the bottom of the lodge is new and is very effective.

Stokes House sign

I am sure that this is not the last picture that I will post of the impressive refurbishment of the wall to Stokes House in Ham Street; this is just to note the arrival of the house name sign above the gate. The sign does the wall justice.

Clifford Road trench

I like seeing things as they change, the jumble of construction sites and walking late at night all of which come together in this picture of below ground works in Clifford Road.

Improved visibility

Just over a year ago, the statue A Bird in the Hand by Keith Goodwin on the edge of Parkleys was made more visible by a fallen tree and its visibility has just been much improved by the trimming of all of the bushes in one corner.

Kensington Clock

This house in Lammas Road is noted for its collection of unusual objects and while some of them may be considered a bit kitsch there is no doubting the quality of this clock.

Different porches

The house on the left ruined the character of this section of Woodville Road so it is hard to criticise the mismatched porch being added next door, especially as elsewhere along the road a number of new porches have been added and they are all quite different.

This one also has the advantage of appropriately coloured tiles.

More posts demolished

It is little over a month since a series of posts were placed at the entrance to Great South Avenue on the north side of Ham Common and already the incompetent drivers of Ham have managed to destroy most of them.

I first reported the posts on 10 April, the very next day I posted a picture of the demise of the first of them, now several have gone on the west side, including the leading one with red and white tape on it, and another has been knocked out and partially replaced.

 

There were two posts on the other side but little evidence of them now remains.

Lammas Road sign moved

Once upon a time, this sign for Lammas Road was attached to the house behind it, just as the one at the other end of the road was before it too was moved.

I suspect that both moves were done by the property owners rather than any one official and while I welcome the signs' retention it would be good to see them placed properly.

Ham House hidden

This is the rear gate to Ham House, approached via Melancholy Walk, which usually offers a lovely view of the house through the gate but not when it is draped in plastic sheeting.

Ham Hardware

This shop on Ham Parade had been operating incognito for a couple of weeks until the arrival of a sign announcing, to nobody's surprise, that it is called Ham Hardware.

Three dead trees

These three trees along the edge of The Copse may be dead but they still make a dramatic impression with their dark twisting branches etched on to the grey sky.

White boxes

The hoardings have come down at 2 Ashfield Close revealing a rather unassuming set of white boxes riddled with glass. Despite being brashly modern it has little street impact but a good front garden could fix that.

PK72 AYA

This parking, outside The New Inn, looks reasonable until you see the one-way sign.

Glass sign

Distinctive houses deserve a distinctive sign and the modern houses in Riven Lane have certainly got one.

Rainbow door

It is impossible to miss this door in Lammas Road for all the right reasons.

Wall watching

In common with many other people, I walk along Ham Street frequently which allows me to monitor closely the works at Stokes House. At the moment my attention is captivated by the wall.

Great care has been taken to give the wall with its potted history a consistent appearance and also a structure and a finish that will last for many more years. It is a real pleasure to see.