Greedy Hare coming soon

The short-lived Lahore Brasserie in Ham Street is set to become another food outlet, Greedy Hare. It announces itself as a "Real Italian", which is something of a surprise as it has a very English name and is next door to CC Pizza.

The name reminds me so much of "Fursty Ferret", a very drinkable ale from Badger Brewery. 

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.

Pipe sections

Parkleys Sewage Pumping Station is well screened at the moment while works are in progress but a narrow gap between two plastic sheets allows the curious to see inside where two pipe sections are on display. 

I found it interesting to see the size of the pipes and although I was not sure what to expect they are a little larger than I thought that they might be.This helps to set the scale for the river abstraction works that Thames Water are planning for the area.

Renovations in Ham Street

This house in Ham Street changed hands recently and the new owners seem to be doing quite a bit to it.

As always, there is a lot that could go wrong here, such as the inappropriate windows that the neighbours went for, and I will be watching development with interest; particularly as this is a house I have been inside many times.

Another border stone

I posted a picture of an old border stone by the towpath yesterday which is easy to spot because it is next to a larger stone but this one is much harder to find. Actually, it is a little easier to find now that I have pulled all the ivy away from it to take this photo. 

It is hidden amongst the bushes that run just outside the boundary of Cassel Hospital on the green triangle between Dukes Avenue and Craig Road, at the Craig Road end.

Border stones

The big stone on the right marks the boundary between Kingston and Richmond and is a prominent feature along the towpath. The small stone on the left is its predecessor and also marks this boundary.

The smaller stone is buried in vegetation for much of the year and it only in winter that you can see the two stones together.

Expanding in several directions

This is another house in Maguire Drive that has chosen to take advantage of its unusually shaped plot to expand in several directions. A lot of the work is at the back and this view shows the odd-angled extension to the side plus the fairly standard porch.

Unroadworthy vehicle

I think it is safe to say that this vehicle "parked" in Burnell Avenue is unroadworthy. I think it is being worked on, or being stripped for parts, but while this is going on it creates a doleful image and hurts the character of the road.

Malcolm's bench

Malcolm Singleton was a prominent feature of Ham Parade for over twenty years running a small shop that somehow seemed to sell everything and everyone went there to buy things, so it is no surprise that when he died suddenly in 2022 the local community raised funds for a memorial which has now arrived on Ham Parade.

The design is a joyful jumble of images of some of the things lurking in the Aladdin's Cave that was M&J Hardware. It is a very fitting tribute to Malcolm.