Lovely shrubs

Just as Dysart Avenue, Kingston joins Burnell Avenue, Richmond, there is this delightful garden showing what can be done without a lawn or traditional flower beds.

Riverside trees

Landscaping is one of the defining features of Ham and these trees alongside Riverside Drive are a good example of that. It is always a pleasure to walk along here.

Little Orchard wall

I think the entrance to Bute Avenue looked better when Little Orchard had bushes in front of its boundary wall and my admiration for the new wall is tainted by that comparison. It is a nice characterful wall with uneven bricks and two slight turns both of which help to soften the impact. It is just a shame that the hedges have gone.

A good compromise

While many home owners make way for their cars by covering the whole of their front garden with a hard surface, this house in Dysart Avenue shows a better way to do things. 

The parking area is limited in size, is an interesting shape and is flanked by good planting. The small fences at the front and the path to the door are nice too.

Getting there slowly

Progress at 23 Ham Farm Road has been so slow that it has been a year since I lasted posted an update but finally there is some news with the removal of the hoardings giving a first look at the modified house. 

The obvious changes include the rear extension, new roof with a window and a new garage. There are other changes too, such as the new white (not grey) windows on the first floor. The rest will be revealed whenever the project finishes.

Just Sudbrook Lane

I was rather surprised when, in 2023, this bus stop got renamed to the long-winded "Sudbrook Lane / the Russell School" and so it is less of a surprise to see it simplified to just "Sudbrook Lane".

Russell Gardens garden

Russell Gardens is a no-through-road that you only walk down if you live there or are exploring. I was exploring and I found these flowers in a neat garden.

Turkish Charcoal Grill

Great Fish & Chips has been on Ham Parade for a little over ten years and has changed appearance a few times. In the latest change, the sign says that they are adding Turkish Charcoal Grill to their menu and the colour scheme has gone from dark blue to turquoise.

Replaced bollard

I am quite amused by the ongoing battle between Richmond Council and bad motorists over the entrance to the small area of parking on the approach to Great South Avenue. In the latest episode the middle of the three concrete posts has been replaced by the Council after some spectacularly bad driving demolished it.

Tall planter

The Fox and Duck used to have several low planters across the front and these have been replaced by a single tall one. While these lift the planting almost out of sight for anyone sitting there they also provide an effective screen against the busy road and any awkward wind.

Autumn colours

Not my first picture of Langham House in its autumn colours and it probably will not be the last either.

Abundance of flowers

Randle Road is a short dead-end road so most people do not have an excuse to walk down it which is a shame because that is where this lovely garden is.

FH18 UJO

GK16 BNJ

This is the second time that this car has been caught parked badly on Ham Parade; here's the first.

New garage

I have been following the rebuilding of a garage at The Navigator's House in River Lane all summer and had I not been doing so it would have been easy to overlook the new building as being new.

Ham House gate topper

The gate at the back of Ham House is appropriately grand and the gate topper is the grandest part.

YC75 FJP

All the other drivers thought it was ok to obey the law and park on the road.

OE54 XTZ

Behind the car is a dropped kerb that I was hoping to use.

Two-tone

Fox House on Upper Ham Road has been caught mid-transformation with grey gradually replacing cream. 

Goat, cow, sheep

I have featured items in this garden before but not this charming collection of farmyard animals.

Interior walls

The rebuild in Sandy Lane has taken shape quickly thanks to the wood and board construction of the interior walls.

Back Lane Community Kitchen Garden

The Community Kitchen Garden in Back Lane looks delightful despite the very dry summer we had. Someone has been very busy and I am grateful for their efforts.

Emergency Throwbag

With the increased swimming in the area, due to the hot weather and it becoming a designated swimming spot, it makes sense for there to be an Emergency Throwbag ready in case any swimmers get into trouble.

Bland

I am not sure what this house in Sudbrook Gardens looked like before its refurbishment, as only a small part of it was visible though the arched entrance, but I am sure that it is bland now with nothing to break up the painted walls and nothing interesting in the placement or appearance of the windows.

There is a hint that a porch may be added and this could improve things significantly, as it has with a few other local houses such as the former Ham Institute in New Road.

Planting off Back Road

There are several alleyways in the area bounded by Lock Road, Ham Street and Ashburnham Road and while some lead somewhere this one, off Back Road and running behind Lock Road, leads nowhere and looked rather tatty as a result. The addition of two semi-circular plant borders has cheered it up considerably.

Hidden

St Richards needs a lot of work doing to it and is still raising the money to get it done but an initial grant has paid for an external scaffolding canopy to protect the building and internal props to ensure the roof is in no danger of collapse. While that is good news for the building's future it also means that any work is currently hidden from external view.

Bright border

Walking along Maguire Drive it is impossible to miss this wonderful bright border.

Ham Close impresses

The view from Ashburnham Road of the first phase of the Ham Close regeneration scheme is impressive. Despite the higher density the buildings are far from overwhelming and the artful design breaks the blocks into smaller visual units.

Side view of Cedarwood

The side view of Cedarwood, seen from The Shires, was hidden for many years by a leylandii hedge which was removed during the refurbishment of the property and I am pleased that with the new fence in place there is a good view of the sumptuous house.

Clarendon SEND School from behind

The back of Clarendon SEND School is the easiest part to get close to which is why I have taken several pictures from here and with all the work completed it looks rather good. While the front is austere, in part thanks to the long driveway up to it, the back is enhanced by the planting along the green mesh fence.

Messy garden

I love this garden in Fanshawe Road because of its messiness. It looks natural with a pleasing mix of plants but it took careful planting to achieve.

Anatolian Kebab

Work has been going on for several months at the unit formerly occupied by Rowleys with little evidence of progress until the Anatolian Kebab sign appeared.

Another year of Teddington Launch Lock Refurbishment

This set of major work to the Launch Lock started almost a year ago, in October 25, and this useful information board says that it will continue next until winter 26/27.

Footpath closed

The ongoing works at Teddington Lock have consumed a significant amount of space in the area for equipment and storage etc. and this includes the section of the towpath between the two paths connecting to the main path to Riverside Drive and beyond.

On this occasion all the space seemed to be used for was parking one machine.

The Hand & Flower signs

The new Hand & Flower is covered with signs, such as those above the front windows, and the last to be added was the painted sign on the side wall facing south towards Ham Parade.

Wilmer House rebuild

It is not often that I find the gates to the former Wilmer House in Church Road open so I was glad of this opportunity to check on progress on the rebuild. The netting obscures the new house but what can be seen shows the scale and colour of the house as well the number and positioning of the windows.

BT LOC

It is not unusual to see brightly coloured "LOC" signs to guide people working on film sets and, to avoid any confusion between different film sets in the same area, the first letters indicate what the production is . However, "BT" managed to confuse me. These signs are to the Ludwig film set in Ham Farm Road and last time the prefix was the understandable "LUD" so I am not sure why they went with "BT" this time.

Cedarwood changes

Cedarwood in Church Road has had a major refurbishment recently which has pleasingly left the house looking much the same though there are changes to the landscaping if you compare it closely to what it looked like ten years ago.

The Hand & Flower is open

The Hand & Flower (the ampersand is back) looks rather good after its substantial refurbishment and is now open for business.

Tree in the river

A large tree that used to be on the edge of the river has fallen in to it. This is just on the Kingston side of the border, alongside Royal Park Gate.

Tree cutting

Clearly the trees in Parkleys need cutting back from time to time but it is not good that they completely block the pavement when doing so. It would be better if they used some car parking spaces.

The Hand & Flower pub sign

The "coming soon" banner for the refurbished Hand and Flower, which appeared in July, included a new logo and that design has been used for the pub sign. It is a very good sign and I hope that the pub lives up to the expectations it creates.

More filming

Filming has started again in Ham Farm Road. Given the location, I presume that this is for more Ludwig which uses a house there as the home for the principal characters while also using multiple other locations in Ham.

Large footprint

I took this photo mostly because I love the frame of scaffolding at the front and the other assorted items associated with the construction of the new 16 Sandy Lane. Looking through the clutter it is just possible to determine the footprint which extends across the whole plot, as they all do these days, and extends back further on the right side.

It is going to be a very big house, even by the standard of its neighbours.

Waiting for white

Amidst Cadent's clutter on Ham Street, one of the cottages is getting a little refresh and is waiting for some white paint to complete the work.

Ham House terrace

Not my first picture of the terrace at the back of Ham House and almost certainly not the last either. It is an inviting place that encourages you to walk to one of the benches at the far end and look back along the full length of the terrace.

Grey Court glimpse

I took the opportunity of the school holiday to take a photograph of the new building on the Ham Street side of Grey Court but while the people were absent the leaves were not so it was only a glimpse.  What can be seen looks good though its the function matters far more than its appearance.

I am hoping to get a fuller picture in autumn or winter.

Tall wall

As part of the refurbishment of 17 Sudbrook Gardens, it has gained a front wall that is both unexpectedly tall and uncharacteristically light in colour. Some of the original wall can be seen on the right, behind the lamp post, and the contrast between the old and the new is vast.

Occupied

Phase 1 of the Ham Close is sufficiently completed for some of the homes to be occupied and while I was watching a family was being shown one of the homes in the block in the middle of the picture.

The playground, walkway and planting are all good signs of a well designed development. And it was good to see the reborn Little House next to the playground.

Seeing more of Gordon House

With all of the plastic sheeting and a lot of the scaffolding gone, most of the refurbished Gordon House is there to be seen.