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.

New entrance to Little Orchard

The is the new entrance to the rebuilt Little Cottage from Bute Avenue. While not remarkable in itself it is markedly different from the previous entrance which was a gate with railings set back from the road with hedges on either side.

The new solid gate and the lack of greenery in front of the wall makes this a more austere and less welcoming entrance.

Spare bricks

Work has all but finished on Little Orchard (on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue) and they seem to have quite a few bricks left over, which have been neatly stacked along the Bute Avenue boundary.

Bird post restored

The metal bollard in Sudbrook Lane that a driver knocked out of place earlier this year has been restored and so has the decorated fake tree attached to it. Birds are again the residents of the tree though I expect this to change from time to time.

Progress at Harrington Lodge

When work started at Harrington Lodge in Sudbrook Lane last year it was hidden behind plastic sheets and now that they have been removed I am pleased to say that the Lodge looks much as it always did, and most importantly the climbing tree is still intact.

At the moment it is wilder that it was and it has grown up a little at this end compared to what it was in 2009.

Dominic House in Sudbrook Lane

The changes made over the years to Dominic House in Sudbrook Lane have been small but noticeable. The driveway used to be paved and was smaller. The garden is reduced as a result and the row of semi-spherical trees that used to define the house has been reduced from seven to three.

Post down

Since January 2024 I have been publishing pictures of a decorated post in Sudbrook Lane and I was hoping to enjoy it again today only to discover that some careless driver had demolished the post completely. 

Little birds

Every walk along Sudbrook Lane is brightened by this decorated post which changes several times a year. The current display is of little birds, perhaps a portent of spring.

First look at Little Orchard

Most of the scaffolding has gone from Little Orchard (on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue) and as the high wall hides most of the house any judgement must be made on the roof alone, and I think it is a little bland.

I like the chimney with its rendered bands but the rest looks uniform and predictable.

The front of the house may look more interesting. I will have to wait until they have finished worked there and for a view through the gate to find out.

Works at Harrington Lodge

Harrington Lodge was one of the better looking properties in Sudbrook Lane, against some very stiff competition, and I hope that it still is once the plastic sheeting comes down.

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.

Not so Little Orchard

The size and shape of the new Little Orchard (on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue) is becoming more apparent as it grows above the wall. 

It seems, to me, to have a similar footprint to the old house and it is still effectively a chalet bungalow so the reasons for the rebuild are not that obvious, perhaps they will become clearer once the work is completed and I can see through the gate.

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.

Roof timbers

It is hard to monitor progress on Little Cottage, on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue, because there are no gaps in the hoardings and I have not been lucky in catching the gate open so the only visible area is the roof so I was plad to catch some action in that area with roof timbers being added to the metal frame.

Butterflies

I really like the way that the decorations on this post are refreshed periodically, this time with butterflies.

Bute Gardens

Bute Gardens comprises the first few houses in Sudbrook Lane, e.g. an example of a formal address here is 1A Bute Gardens, Sudbrook Lane, Richmond TW10 7AZ, and this decidedly less formal sign marks its presence. 

New gate for Old Vicarage

When the entrance to The Old Vicarage in Petersham was rebuilt in 2016 it gained a lovely front gate only for that gate to be hidden by ugly solid black metal sheets in 2024, so the band new gate is an improvement on what was there immediately before it but not on what was there before that.

Wood over metal

I am intrigued by construction of the new house, where Little Cottage used to sit on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue, because it began unusually with a steel frame. To this a wooden structure is being added.

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.

Yellow frame

The Little Cottage site, on the south-east corner of Sudbrook Lane and Bute Avenue, has been hidden behind hoardings for several months but no longer as the frame of the new house busts into view in a surprising display of yellow metal.