Remembering Royal Oak

What was Royal Oak is now Ham Village Centre (HVC). It is good to see the building back in use and that the people behind HVC are keen on local history. As part of this the pub sign has been kept and has been given a prominent place in the courtyard garden.

Weathervane off Lock Road

I hope that this is a new weathervane otherwise I am not sure how I missed it before.

It is on a shed behind a house in Lock Road and can be seen from the lane that leads to the surgery and then the pumping station.

Something is happening along the towpath

Two areas in the verge between the upper and lower paths by Royal Park Gate have been cleared in preparation for something. It could be benches and it could be flowers. We will see.

The latest Huf Haus rises

I live close to Ham Farm Road and at the moment I am walking along there often to check on progress on the third Huf Haus in the area. It is now poking boldly over the boarding and already it looks comfortable in its surroundings.

Looking the other way, from Parkleys, it can be seen how the new house has been sited to fit in around the existing trees which will help to preserve the character of the area.

Converting shops to cottages

The shops at the North-West end of Ham Parade have featured several times in the years that I have been recording changes in the area because the shops there have always struggled due to their being somewhat separated from the other shops and getting far fewer passers-by as a result.

Now the owner of the properties has conceded defeat that the two shops are becoming two cottages, which I presume is an euphemism for small houses.

A tidy house in Petersham

I presume that the postal address of this house is in Meadow Close but I took the picture from the end of Ashfield Close so it could be there.

Clearly it has been repainted recently and that is what caught my attention. The setting with the trees just made things better. 

An exuberance of signs

As some of these signs explain, Bainbridge Close (off Latchmere Close/Church Road) is a private road and it is also gated so the for sale signs have to cluster outside making a colourful mess.

Ham Pumping Station

For some reason the narrow footpath that goes behind the North-West side of Mead Road has been cleared for the first time in my memory and that has opened up new perspectives on Ham Pumping Station.

This is the East end of the site with Redknap House in Cleves Road in the background.

The back of the main building looks as marvellously industrial as it should with its functional brick wall, battered doors and weathered vents. I also love the little sign on the door which reads, "Supply Authority's Metering".

Fitting in

I have recently made some derogatory comments about one new wall in Petersham Road for not following the style of the street and I thought that I would balance it with one that has.

This wall is clearly brand new so the colour does not yet match the weathered brick of the rest of the street but the semi-circular shapes are exactly right.