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.

New gate to Langham House

This new, and decidedly modern, gate is to the side entrance of Langham House. Elsewhere it would look great but, for me, it looks a little out of place in an old wall in front of an old building and it would be better in black which is the dominant colour of gates in that area.

Still, it is a nice gate and I dare say that it will grow on me.

Filling the frame

Now that the concrete frame of The Hive (the new community centre being built on Ham Village Green) has been completed the walls are being filled in with breeze blocks and it is starting to look like a building.

Otter

It is always worth walking down what look like less interesting roads because, sometimes, you find interesting things like this otter.

Stokes House door

The wall work at Stokes House is all but complete, there are a couple of pillars still to do, and the latest change is the arrival of a delightfully traditional new front door.

There is a lot to like about the door and its setting and as a deliverer of the Ham and Petersham Magazine I am particularly pleased to see a good sized letterbox and a decent height.

Freeholds for sale

The "For Sale By Auction" signs are not an immediate worry but the auctioneer website says, "The lots offer a variety of potential different uses/further developments" and "The site has previously had a positive pre app commercial, residential & mixed use development with an additional 2.5 stories."

The threat is not immediate as both tenants have leases running to 2029 but that is only four years away.

A new road

As the blocks in the first stage of the Ham Close development take shape so does the road between them. This is the view looking south from Woodville Road.

Not white

The rule here is clearly that fences must be white so it is a shame that somebody has chosen to break ranks and pick a different colour. The one saving grace is that it matches the front door but that is not a good enough excuse.