Undulations

The landscaping of Wates Estate is a constant joy and I wanted to highlight this area, approaching the entrance to TYM from the south, because unlike most of the landscaped areas it is not flat. The recent mowing helps to show the contours but the best way to appreciate the undulations is to walk past it.

Richmond & Kew FC

The sports facilities have been on Riverside Drive for a while but the sign for Richmond & Kew FC is new.

Riverside trees

I like to celebrate the good things in Ham, the things that are so easy to take for granted, and these trees on Riverside Drive, with part of Kingfisher Drive behind them, look reassuringly commanding.

Pavement repairs

Too often when pavements are dug up for utility works they are repaired with no attempt to match the existing surface, leading to street scars which blight areas like Ham Parade, so it was good to see that the pavement along Riverside Drive is being resurfaced appropriately. 

TPOs

Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) have been requested for all of the mature trees in the section of Wates Estate along Riverside Drive indicated in the map. 

I guess it is in response to the recent sale of several such plots of land across Wates Estate though it does also pose the question as to why TPOs were not requested earlier. 

Incidentaly, I had a less that helpful discussion with Richmond Council Tree Section on the subkect of TPOs a few years ago when I was looking to see if there was suffiecient protection for trees in Ham and I was told "here is not a list of TPO’s available that is accessible to the public". I noted at the time that Kingston Council has an online Map of Tree Preservation Orders.

Two traffic islands

The two new traffic islands in Riverside Drive have been fully completed and are so new that the keep left signs are still in place.

Against my expectations formed during their construction, the two islands look identical which obviously makes sense.

Behind Kingfisher Drive

The first part of 2025 was notably grey so on the few sunny days it was good to see some of the prettier parts of Ham, like this line of trees doing their best to hide Kingfisher Drive from the many people out walking on Ham Lands.

A second traffic island

A few weeks ago I mentioned that a new traffic island was being built in Riverside Drive in the Fellbrook area and this is a second one, further west and opposite the sports pavilion.

The design of this one is less substantial and I will post pictures of both islands once they are fully completed so that the comparison is easier to make.

New traffic island

A new traffic island is being installed in Riverside Drive in the Fellbrook area.

There are dropped kerbs there already but this still seems like an odd place for a pedestrian crossing when the main flows are along Croft Way and Teddington Lock Footpath so I suspect this is more about trying to slow motorists down than to help pedestrians cross the road.

More trees

It is always good to see more trees planted and these were something of a surprise as there were some local objections when the nearby Community Orchard was planted in 2021. What I particularly like is that the trees have been planted in two lines to, hopefully, grow into a decent barrier in time.

Richmond Council have just done a consultation on trees in the Borough (I submitted a response) which suggests an intention to plant a lot more trees and I hope that happens.

A line of barriers

Somebody is doing something in Riverside Drive, at the Ham Street end, and there is a line of red barriers showing where it is being done.

Light pollution

Unfortunately the camera software in my iPhone has automatically "improved" this picture to show more detail and in doing so it has masked just how bright these lights are.

This is the Kew and Ham Sports Association site on Riverside Drive, close to the Ashburnham Road mini roundabout, and these excessive lights must be having an impact on the wildlife on Ham Lands.

The last of the green

This year had been fantastic for all things green until the dry late-spring and the early-summer heatwave quickly turned a lot of it brown so here is a reminder of how glorious it was just a short while ago. 

This is the view from Croft Way looking across the patch of grass on the corner with Riverside Drive, that is where the street lights are, with Ham Lands beyond that.

Over mown

While the grass verge on Riverside Drive by Wates Estate has mostly been left unmown, this section by Perryfield Way has been mercilessly mown very low and in straight lines like the main lawn in a country house when it should look wild like Ham Lands on the other side of the road.

Daisies

The strip of grass between Riverside Drive and Wates Estate has (mostly) been left unmown, as it should be in No Mow May, and looks all the better for it. I especially like the areas that rise slightly so that that you are looking at the daisies side-on rather than looking down at them.

White signpost

There are a few white signposts in Ham but while most are almost hidden by the neighbouring vegetation this one, on the corner of Ham Street and Riverside Drive, delights in it.

New grass

A desire path has been between Kingfisher Drive and Riveside Drive has created a muddy scar across the grass which someone is trying to repair by planting new seed and putting up a barrier to allow it to grow. 

That seems to be working for the moment but desire paths are there for a reason and the muddy line is likely to return.

No Weeds Allowed

I admire the idea of a "no Weeds Allowed" sign though I doubt its effectiveness. However, what it lacks in function it more than makes up for in humour and appearance. 

Katey's

The last time I posted a picture of this pavilion in Riverside Drive was in 2012 and then the sign was less prominent and was for Little Hamsters Play Cafe. This is a similar business to Katey's Nursery and Pre-school but I do not know if they are related in any way.

Tree surgery

A few weeks ago I posted about bushes on Riverside Drive, just off to the right of this picture, being cut back (in a good way) and the good work has continued. The tree has been pollarded, the messy offshoots have been removed and the bushes along Rushmead have been trimmed.