58 Hardwicke House

Way back in time,  2007 to be precise, I posted a picture of one of the house signs at Hardwicke House and while I mentioned the other one I did not post a picture of that too, which is a shame becuase it has been replaced.

The new sign, on the left side of the gate, does all that is expected of it by clearly showing the house number and being constructed of stone that suits the wall well.

For completeness, here is the sign on the right side of the gate. It has weather even more since I took the earlier photograph of it and it is now all but unreadable.

Working on Hardwicke House

I do like to see scaffolding up because I like the lines of the construction and there is the promise of something new to see afterwards. 

In this case it looks like minor works to one of the chimney stacks at Hardwicke House so there will probably not be much to see afterwards (I will look!) but there is the geometry of the scaffolding to enjoy.

A brighter look for Hardwicke House

Several houses on Ham Common have got a new lick of pain this spring and are looking all the better for it. One of these is Hardwicke House on the corner of Ham Common and Martinsgale Close. It faces south and slightly to the east and so gets lots of sun which makes it look even brighter.

Pollarding a tree at Hardwicke House

It seems to be the time of year to attend to large trees as there is a lot of it going on. I was lucky to catch work in progress on one of the trees at Hardwicke House (on the corner of Ham Common and Martingales Close) on one of my lunchtime walks (an advantage of working from home).

The timing was good as this was just a couple of days before Storm Katie blew through taking some branches with it.

Stone pig

The garden at Hardwicke House is functional rather than pretty and I struggled to take a picture that captures its mood. It is enlivened by some of the current owner's sculptures but I prefer this appealing pig enjoying the sun down by the hens.

Hardwicke House in May

The white frontage of Hardwicke House makes it a prominent feature on the north side of Ham Common even though it is set well back from the road. It changes a lot through the year looking very bare at times and then comes the shock of pink from the Wisteria followed by the rich greenery of another Spring.

Filming at Hardwicke House

The last time that I caught filming in action locally was on Ham Parade for New Tricks back in 2007 now the cameras are busy at Hardwicke House on Ham Common and the film crew have occupied the north-east corner of Ham Common.

Hardwicke House on Ham Common

Hardwicke House stands out from its neighbours on Ham Common because of its brilliant white finish that looks especially dramatic when viewed from the Common through a frame of trees. The blooming wisteria helps the look too.

Sign at Hardwicke House

This sign, just to the right of the gate, says "Boundary Fence of Hardwicke House". The new sign on the other side of the gate is a lot easier to read and simply says, "Hardwicke House".

Hardwicke House

Hardwicke House is on the north side of Ham Common.