Paved area at Avenue Lodge

Like most long gardens, Avenue Lodge adds interest by breaking it up with barriers and points of interest. Along the border there are brick pillars topped with flower pots (you can see one on the right of this picture) and at the end of the garden there is a small pond with bird bath and statue.

But what I liked the most was this small paved area about half way down the garden. The grey stone interrupts the green flow of the lawn and is itself interrupted by plants and a pot. The northern boundary of this area is formed by the brick wall that curls away from the boundary and about 2m in to the garden. A large circular hole in the wall makes it both a curiosity and portal on to the rest of the garden.

Border at Avenue Lodge

The rear garden at Avenue Lodge is long and thin as it follows Great South Avenue towards Ham House. One consequence of this is a long West facing wall and this is an ideal place to show off some flowers.

Avenue Lodge revealed

Avenue Lodge has appeared here a few times over the years but always from the outside of the tall wall that keeps its secrets. Then Ham Open Gardens 2011 opened the gates here too allowing us a closer look at the house as well as the garden.

R.I.P. Simon

Simon was a part of Ham Parade for many years sitting and drinking on this bench with his small group of friends at all hours and in all weathers. Now he has gone.

I did not know Simon well at all but I did speak to him a couple of times, many years ago, when he still went to the Hand and Flower back in the days when Tom was in charge.

He was always drunk but never violent, never rowdy and never any sort of problem. He'll be missed.

Pots and steps

The front garden of the Gate House by Great South Avenue has featured here a few times, most recently in May this year, because of its beauty so the rear garden was one of the ones that I was particularly looking forward to seeing in Ham Open Gardens 2011.

Just like the front garden, the rear garden is rich with detail that pulls your gaze in one direction then another. The flower beds are cute but my favourite section is the raised lawn in a corner between two wings of the house that is approached via some wide steps decorated with pots.

Shed at Flax Cottage

Flax Cottage has several things in it that make it interesting without being too fussy or cluttered. Among these are several sheds. I lose count but I think it was three or four.

They are all different and this one is my favourite thank to its subtle colouring and the many plants that have made it their home.

Table and chairs

The rear garden at Flax Cottage is long and (relatively) thin and, like most gardens that shape, it is split in to a number of different sections to disguise its shape. Each of these has something to catch the eye, such as a pond or a statue.

Or a table and chairs. Here you can sit in the shade in the middle of the garden and enjoy the view in both directions.

Cassel Hospital and Morgans

While the gardens were clearly the main reason for going to Ham Open Gardens 2011 I was not going to miss the opportunity of looking at some of the buildings from a different angle.

From the front Cassel Hospital is a mess simply because it has been turned in to a hospital and, next door, Morgans is a mess simply because it was designed that way. But viewed from behind they present a coherent, orderly and pretty whole.

Grounds of Cassel Hospital

The first of many pictures from Ham Open Gardens 2011 comes from Cassel Hospital. The hospital itself has a prominent position on the south side of Ham Common. Facing the common is a ramshackle of a building that has its basis in a grand house but which has been added too, not always sympathetically, over the years and carries the wounds of being morphed in to a hospital along the way.

The garden, unseen from the road, is something of a shock. Or would be if not for aerial photography. It's vast. Really vast. And nicely simple too.

A wide path cut in to the grass encourages you to stroll around the edge. Which I did. And this is the best way to appreciate the size of the garden and the tranquillity that a walk in the country brings.