Sudbrook Gate

I presume that the house Sudbrook Gate, in Sudbrook Lane, gets its name from its proximity to the entrance to Sudbrook Park (home to The Richmond Golf Club) but while it references another gate its own gate is rather good.

Restored cap

When I last posted a picture of a former gate to Beaufort House in Ham Street the work on the pillar on the left looked unfinished and the cap had not been replaced. A month later and it looks completed. 

You cannot tell from here that the brick pillar has been worked on and the cap is back in place. It is only the new slab that suggests that anything has changed.

Gates gone

In 2023 I commented on the gates to the porch at St Andrew's and now they have gone. The pins are still attached to the front wall and it looks as though the gate panels have simply been lifted off; hopefully to be refurbished or replaced with something better, though there is also the possibility that they have been stolen.

Missing cap

The simple wood boards have gone from the front of Beaufort House but the wall behind them looks to be unaltered. What has gone is the cap on the pillar on the left. That pillar has been built up to the height of the rest of the wall but this work looks messy and may be unfinished. It would be nice to get the other cap back.

Neat gate

Continuing the (short) neat and tidy sequence, this is a gate to a car park in Parkleys which has been well looked after in distinct contrast to the nearby fence and wall.

The keypad is something of a conundrum though. There is an open access for cars just a few metres away so there is no security on the site anyway.

Gate House goes black

No sooner had the Gate House on Upper Ham Road gone grey than the windows and sills went black, including the windows in the original (listed) part of the building.

New door and windows

This picture is similar to the one I took of this property in Craig Road three months ago though a careful comparison reveals some differences, notably the new door and windows and also the scale of the rather modest extension at the back.

Grey twins

These semis in Dysart Avenue are being updated together which makes sense for things like the shared roof and also gives a welcome conformity of style with the same rendering, unlike before.

While these houses are clearly twin-like there are differences, e.g. the one on the left has a side extension and the one on the right has windows in the roof. The windows are also different though maybe just close enough in style for it not to matter.

Unexpected windows

I visited Cedar Heights specifically to see is number 14 had been demolished, as per its approved planning application, and was very surprised to find it not only standing but equipped with new Anglian windows.

One one hand I am disappointed that the interesting new building shown in the plans will no longer be built but I am happy that the new windows are exactly right for the house.

Spot the difference

Many of the things that I post here are changes that I spot subconsciously when walking, something catches my eye and I stop to try and work out what it was. The gate to The Old Coach House on Petersham Road did just that.

Even now I am not sure what changed or when. It may have been a fresh coat of paint or perhaps it was the removal of the hoop handle that was there in 2008!

Work at Ivy Cottage

There seems to be quite a lot going on at Ivy Cottage on Upper Ham Road. The sizeable collection of old windows is the biggest clue while the disturbed ground beyond the open gate and the plasterboard suggest that the work is more than just windows.

Pleasingly, the open gate also reveals the deep red ivy at the back of the house.

Woodbine Cottage

Somehow I have overlooked Woodbine Cottage, despite posting a few pictures of the garden I have never posted one of the house before, so I am pleased to correct that error.

Petersham Road is an awkward and generally unpleasant place to walk (road too busy, pavement too narrow and uneven) and I only use that route to look for new or interesting things and passing Woodbine Cottage the whiteness struck me first and then it was the lovely windows. The partial screening by trees add a welcome sense of mystery.

Grey windows

This end of terrace house in Willow Bank looks to have replaced their windows and while the designs are the same, which is the right thing to do, the light grey colouring jars slightly with the white windows  elsewhere. It is only a small jar, enough to be noticed but not enough to get upset about.

Smaller windows

Most of the changes to 23 Ham Farm Road are being done at the back and I was surprised to see that the windows at the front, facing directly onto Ham Common Woods, are being reduced in size with almost half of the space filled with breeze blocks.

Taupe windows

The first blocks in Ham Close are having their windows installed and it is vecoming easier to judge what the finsihed buildings will look like. The taupe windows are something of a surprise but the colour seems to go well with the brick, and they are not grey!

Window work

This window faces directly on to Upper Ham Road so it is easy to monitor progress on it as the house is refurbished. Most of the paint has been removed which implies that it is going to be repaired and kept rather than replaced

White windows

Strolling along Sudbrook Lane I was struck by these these recently painted white windows set in a lovely brick wall; it's an image well worth sharing. The newness of the paintwork is confirmed by the flecks of paint on the pavement.

185A Petersham Road

I presume that there always has been a 185A Petersham Road sitting alongside 185 in its pretty corner but it did not have its own gate before.

New gate in Hazel Lane

I walk along Hazel Lane regularly, mostly to avoid traffic-heavy Petersham Road, and while it changes little it does change from time to time and this neat gate is one of those changes.

Wood over steel

I am intrigued by the construction of the new Little Orchard (on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue) and have been since it started with a bright yellow metal frame. The wooden roof is another surprise to me. Of course that is not the end of the story and I look forward to seeing what is placed over the wood.