Even more flowers

It is only a couple of weeks since I last posted a picture of the west boundary to Cassel Hospital along Upper Ham Road and it has changed again! Then there was just one planter here and now there is a row of them and they are all beautifully planted too.

A marked improvement

This is the side entrance to the extensive grounds at Cassel Hospital from Upper Ham Road where somebody has been busy painting the fence and moving one of the planters.

I last took a photo of this area in 2018 when the ground in front of the fence had been cleared but the fence and gates looked very old and worn. The painting makes the area look much fresher and brighter.

Cassel Hospital railings

I love railings, which is why I have a tag for them on this blog, and these railings running decoratively across the front of Cassel Hospital where they are at risk of being overshadowed by the grandeur of the building.

Both the building and the railings are in need of much TLC and there is still hope that they will get it one day while the building remains in use.

Rear gates to Cassel Hospital

I posted a similar photo of the rear gates to Cassel Hospital a few months ago (February) and I justify adding another one because the entrance is even clearer and it links to the previous photo of the new plants at Physio Extra via the pot on the right.

Clearing the fence

Some work has been done on the south-east boundary of Cassel Hospital, by where it joins Ham Parade. The main part of this has been to clear the gate to provide vehicle access to the grounds and the adjoining sections of the fence have been cleared of vegetation.

Gate to Cassel Hospital

At the back of Cassel Hospital, just off Ham Parade, is a double gate that gives access to the extensive grounds. I do not know if it had been used recently but the vegetation in front of it had been cleared making the gate more obvious.

White wall

The gentle sprucing of the Cassel Hospital continued with the repair and repainting of the low front wall. You can see what state it was in before in these pictures I took earlier in the year when the work started with the removal of some trees.

All it needs now is for the railings to come back but I presume that is not going to happen.

Decorative bricks

Cassel Hospital has a mixed frontage, part of which is a high yellow brick wall which is made interesting and decorative by an unusual bond at the top which has two rows protruding, one of them at an angle. Little things like that are easy to do and make such a difference.

Replacing trees at Cassel Hospital

I was concerned when the trees at the front of Cassel Hospital were removed recently so it was very pleasing to see them replaced not long afterwards. They are a little spindly at the moment but they are a good height and, if looked after (particularly during this dry Summer), then they should soon be flourishing.

Removing trees at Cassel Hospital

I happened to catch some tree surgeons at work at Cassel Hospital on one of my many walks around Ham Common. This was early afternoon on Wednesday 25 January and one tree had been severely cut back and two others cut back to their stumps.

I went past the hospital again a couple of days later to take another look and was surprised, and upset, to see that the trimmed tree had also been cut back and all three stumps removed. Only the fresh wood chippings gave any sign that there used to be trees there.

Keeping an eye on Cassel Hospital

There is the possibility, if not probability, that the Cassel Hospital site will be redeveloped in the not too distant future and with that in mind I want to make sure that I have captured as it is today before it all goes.

This section is just to the north (or right) of the original house and I think that it is prettier because of the acres of brick and Georgian windows.

Wild zone at Cassel Hospital

The north section of the Cassel Hospital plot is a wild zone hidden behind a wooden fence. It is not a very tall fence so it is easy to look over it to see what is going on.

Normally that is nothing but it looks less wild than it did as some work has been done on it. And that could be a problem as badgers live here and their habitats are protected by law. Obviously there is a suspicion that this is being done to clear the area ready for houses when the large and prominent Cassel Hospital site is sold. This is just a suspicion and local organisations are monitoring the situation.

Closing Cassel Hospital

The "To Let" sign on the Cassel Hospital marks the end of an era. The building has had many uses in its history and now its days as a hospital appear to be over. I am not sure who will take the building on in its current configuration but I suspect that its ultimate destiny will be as part of a major housing development.

Whatever happens next the end of the hospital means the end of the little features that mark it as thus. Features like this notice.

The Cassel Hospital on Ham Common

Cassel Hospital seems to be empty now so this may have been the last chance to enjoy the large grounds before they are built on. The disuse of the building was echoed by the garden that had been hastily and inelegantly mown for the open day rather than carefully for residents.

Cassel Hospital and Morgans

While the gardens were clearly the main reason for going to Ham Open Gardens 2011 I was not going to miss the opportunity of looking at some of the buildings from a different angle.

From the front Cassel Hospital is a mess simply because it has been turned in to a hospital and, next door, Morgans is a mess simply because it was designed that way. But viewed from behind they present a coherent, orderly and pretty whole.

Grounds of Cassel Hospital

The first of many pictures from Ham Open Gardens 2011 comes from Cassel Hospital. The hospital itself has a prominent position on the south side of Ham Common. Facing the common is a ramshackle of a building that has its basis in a grand house but which has been added too, not always sympathetically, over the years and carries the wounds of being morphed in to a hospital along the way.

The garden, unseen from the road, is something of a shock. Or would be if not for aerial photography. It's vast. Really vast. And nicely simple too.

A wide path cut in to the grass encourages you to stroll around the edge. Which I did. And this is the best way to appreciate the size of the garden and the tranquillity that a walk in the country brings.

Cassel Garden Party, 11 July 2009

This year's Cassel Garden Party will be on Saturday 11 July, as this reused sign on the front of the hospital announced to everybody passing along the South side of Ham Common.

Roof walkway at Cassel Hospital

Cassel Hospital comprises an interesting collection of buildings of different ages, shapes and styles. Some of this cobbling together becomes evident when looking at the roof where steps have been constructed to connect two buildings. The raw industrial feel of the roof is enhanced here by the menacing grey sky.

Cassel Services

The new signs at what was Cassel Hospital say simply "Cassel Services" which suggests that there have been some changes to the establishment but gives no clue as to what they are. The signs themselves are clean and modern, and somewhat of a contrast to the ramshackle building they advertise.

Plaque

An open gate at Cassel Hospital allowed me to sneak in to the site to take this picture of a plaque on a wall that faces on to Ham Common.