Petersham Road resurfacing

The closure of Petersham Road over night for resurfacing has caused a few problems with access, which is why I ended up taking this photo at 1:30am while walking home from Richmond because there were no buses.

I presume that this work is necessary but that does not make the regular closures and restrictions on this road any less annoying.

Incidentally, Petersham Road was fully resurfaced in 2014. It may have been done again since then but without me recording it.

Stepped ridge

I have recorded the way that the common stye of roofs on the houses on Petersham Road opposite Richmond Golf Club has been slowly eroding, with the worst case being the grey roof next to this one. An effort has been made here to get it right with a stepped edge on the ridge tiles but their colour does not match the rest of the roof.

The main roof is the same as the porch, it was just easier to take a close-up of the lower roof.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Doubly wrong roof

Ten years ago the first house broke the roof style for this section of Petersham Road by having smooth ridge tiles rather than jagged ones and now this house has got things doubly wrong by going for grey tiles as well as smooth ridges.

Shrine

Sadly there have been a few shines constructed in Ham in recent years and while most either get removed after a while or get renewed on anniversaries, like the one on Dukes Avenue, this one on Petersham Road endures. 

187

The section of Petersham Road between Sandy Lane and Sandpits Road is not fun to walk along, which is why so few people do, but I walk every road in Ham regularly just to see what has changed or if there is anything interesting that worth posting that I have not done so before. This time it was the sign for number 187.

The wall is a lovely backdrop with character bricks and nicely coloured mortar to which the sign adds more brown. The font used is clean and pleasing, though age has faded it a little and it lacks the contrasting colour that it needs to stand out.

More wrong windows

I am not a great fan of the Mock Tudor houses clustered opposite the golf course, despite growing up in something similar, but I do like their consistency of style that makes the houses look as though they belong together rather than just arriving there haphazardly, as in neighbouring Sandy Lane. 

Unfortunately when one house breaks with that style, like the grey windows here, then that makes the house a stranger and breaks the togetherness of the neighbourhood.

I just hope that the appeal of grey windows disappears as quickly as that for stone cladding did.

Bakehouse border

When I last mentioned Bakehouse on Petersham Road, back in June, I wondered about what would become of the front boundary, and now we know. Where a low white brick wall once stood are some tall railings with an even taller hedge behind it.

There is not a consistent style to the borders in that section of Petersham Road so while the previous low border was possibly slightly more in keeping with its neighbours the higher railings and hedge are not out of place, provided the hedge is kept trimmed to a reasonable height.

Bakehouse garden

The Bakehouse in Petersham Road had a refresh in 2008 and is having another one now and while I have been keeping an eye on it for several weeks the works have not been visually interesting enough for me to post an image, despite the scaffolding! It became more interesting when work started on the front garden and the basement window.

The brick steps up to the front door are a nice touch.

Previously The Bakehouse had a low white wall and nothing much of a garden so it is likely that whatever replaces it will be an improvement.

20 Years

You may not have seen this sign yet but you will probably recognise both the wall and the style of the writing which are enough to tell you that it is Petersham Nurseries which is celebrating 20 Years.

Newark Lodge lion

Newark Lodge, squeezed into the corner between Petersham Road and Sudbrook Lane, is cute in many ways and so has featured here a few times over the years, but I have been remise in not highlighting the lion at the top of the building before.

Ready for repairs

The No Waiting bollards are to keep Petersham Road free for overnight repairs which, so far, are being done keeping one lane open to traffic.

I had a look at a section of the road that has already beed done and the repairs there were pretty extensive, approximately half of the surface has been redone.

Incidentally, the road is so narrow in that section that I am surprised that on-street parking is allowed anyway.

Corner window

The houses set back from Petersham Road opposite the golf course share a common style but there are significant differences between them and these differences are growing as house owners ignore the conventions of the road. 

This house is noticeably different because it has natural wood windows, rather than white, and it also has a corner window that is unique to the area.

297 Petersham Road

I am not normally as well prepared as this but when I saw a planning application submitted to remove the front wall at 297 Petersham Road I thought that I would take a photo of it before it went.

It is not a special wall and the neighbours' lost their's ages ago so I guess there is no reason to keep it. I will miss it though both for its own charm, which good planting would quickly emphasise, and because it risks making that whole section a car park with the increased difficulties for pedestrians that will bring.

More damage

While the demolition of Ham Gate is the most spectacular (in a bad way) current example of damage caused by motorists it is not the only one. 

Obviously it took some force to knock out this post which strongly suggests that the motorist responsible was not paying any attention to the 20mph signs, or to the keep left sign on the island either.

We should not have to put up with this regular damage caused by irresponsible motorists or to the danger they present to other people.

182

I love this house number sign! Firstly it is easy to read, which is the most important thing about signs and, secondly, it has a little touch of the gothic about it but not too much to make it pretentious.

Curled iron

These fine gates opposite The Russell School on Petersham Road almost get lost in the detail of the house and gardens. It was a struggle to find a decent angle to photograph them from and I am not sure that I succeeded.