Ronny's has closed

Like a lot of people, the first I head of Ronny's closing was when I went there for a coffee and a cake while on one of my walks. The sign on the door, of a type I had seen elsewhere previously, said something along the lines that everything in the shop was subject to forfeiture due to arrears on the lease.

This was a big shock not just because I was hoping to eat and drink there but also because it had always seemed to be doing well on my fairly regular visits there. It was always busy and the investment in furniture etc. suggested that business was going fine.

I am not the only person who is missing Ronny's and returning a few days later I saw several letters of support stuck to the front of the shop.

Taking shape

There are several infill projects on the go at the moment and this one if off Clifford Road. The construction has only just started but the early signs are promising due to the dark brick and the pattern within it.

Zoinks!!

I seem to have scared Scooby Doo and Shaggy as I walked along Broughton Avenue.

Passing The Copse

Almost always when I take the path that skirts The Copse as it goes from Meadlands Drive towards Ham House I am walking South from Ham House and I have posted views that way before so it made a vary pleasant change to capture this view when walking the other way - that is the Ham House wall just to the left of the centre of the picture.

Re-roofing Argyll House

Argyll House (on Ham Street close to the junction with Riverside Drive) consists of three blocks and all of them are having substantial work done to them. The visible work is the re-roofing but there may be more going on.

The blocks seem to be empty during the work.

More infilling

Another construction project has started on the site of former garages, this time in Riverside Drive. The site is quite narrow and is close to the houses in both roads (it backs on to Murray Road) so the options for redevelopment are limited.

The long and narrow access to the site means that it is difficult to see what the work is and how it is progressing and, at the moment, this is the best that I can do.

Mock Tudor

As Mock Tudor goes this example, is Stretton Road, is nicely done and the planting around it is effective too. If this was in the Tudor Estate in North Kingston then it would look happily at home but at the end of a terrace of four brick houses, and next to an identical terrace, it looks a little worried and out of place.

Something nice in Stretton Road

Surprisingly (well, I was surprised), this is the almost the first picture I have posted of something in Stretton Road, though I have taken several of the footpaths leading to/from it. What caught me eye this time was the way that 10A had been done up.

The new front door is simply and unfussy though there ought to be a law against letter boxes positioned low down like that, I deliver the Ham and Petersham Magazine (not here) and low letter boxes are the worst.

The garden is also simple and looks good for it with a pleasing mix of shapes and colours. I guess it is designed to be low maintenance and I hope that the maintenance is not kept too low and that the plants are kept in good shape; the ones along the front wall already need trimming back.

LV69 NYA parks outrageously

Parking on Ham Parade is obviously a stupid idea and parking by the bus stop even more so, but that has not stopped LV69 NYA from doing so.

I waited until the 65 had gone before taking this picture as I try to avoid having people in shot (for various reasons) but you can imagine that a minute earlier there were several people clusters around the vehicle looking confused and angry.

There was plenty of parking spaces available on the road at the time, not that a lack of spaces was any excuse for parking here.

This side view shows just how much of this busy pavement was occupied and how it is parked exactly where people congregate when waiting for the bus.

It also shows that the vehicle belongs to Billa Scaffolding and I hope that they are embarrassed, and sorry, for this.

Digging up Cleves Road

More infrastructure works, this time at the entrance to Cleves Road.

Craig Road closed

I presume that this infrastructure work in Craig Road is associated with the new homes being built there and one consequence of it is that the road is closed.

Remodelled semis in Maguire Drive

As the scaffolding gradually comes down more of the two semis being remodelled in Maguire Drive are exposed to inspection and I still have mixed feelings about them.  The more finished half looks to be of good quality but there seems to be a lack of windows which also produces a large expanse of uniform brick.

This face of the house looks north-east so may be considered to be the back of the house (despite the front door!) and I hope that the other side is both brighter and prettier.

Something new in Dukes Avenue

Walking down Dukes Avenue the other day, as I often do, I saw these men at work on a trench and a new large grey box that I presume is related to whatever is in the trench, e.g. telecoms or water.

The box is much bigger that any others that I have seen associated with underground infrastructure locally and I have no idea what it is there for.

Looking at it the other way reveals a window which suggests that people are meant to go in there sometime though, again, I have no idea why.

YE18 CHC commits two crimes

Parking on the pavement and obstructing a crossing are both wrong and YE18 CHC manages to do both.

19 Buckingham Road makes an effort

It is always a pleasure to highlight the nice things locally and the frontage of 19 Buckingham Road is one of them. Three window boxes and a couple of plant pots does not sound like much but when you put a little effort in and present them like this then people walking past, people like me, will pause to take a look.

Update on Dickens Close

A lot of time has been spent on this project in Dickens Close and that has generated a lot of mess in the front garden but, from the outside, little seems to have changed. Playing spot the difference with an earlier photograph I can see that the garage (far left) has become a room, there are some T-bars on the wall next too it and the front porch has been cut back to cover just the front door.

Playing at Russell School

One of the things that Russell School has gained as a result of consolidating into one new building in some seriously good play equipment.

The amount of space and the outdoor facilities were one of the things that attracted us to Russell School when we were looking for a school for our boys about twenty five years ago (!) and it is good to see that this part of the school's character has not changed.

The only shame is that the play equipment is behind the school fence and so is not generally available. We need more places like this.

Richmond Chase approaches completion

Work at Richmond Chase is (finally) drawing to a close. These two houses are ticked in behind the main road as it curls round to the east in an "L" shape. They are not yet accessible but there was a gap in the fencing that I was able to take advantage of.

There are still many yellow "Richmond Chase" road signs around, some of which seem to be fairly new, and the number of "For Sale" signs within the development suggests that they are not flying off the shelves. There are also a fair number that are occupied or marked as "Sold" so I think Richmond Chase will eventually be a success (for the developers).

Update on Craig Road

Another site that seems to be making good progress is the new houses going up where garages used to be. The house at the back was constructed first and the one at the front is rising quickly.

A few days later the work took a major step with the closure of Craig Road for a few days while work was done on the services to the site.

Walking away from Ham House

I love to visit Ham House as much for the walking as for the gardens there and walking along the path across the front of the house, towards Ham Street, on this lovely autumnal day it is clear to see why. This is a beautiful scene made all the better by walking through it.

Busy at Orford Place

Work is proceeding at pace at at Orford Place on both the new build and the refurbishment. The copious scaffolding on the main building is testament to that.

At the back of the Kitchen Garden

Many of the visitors to the Kitchen Garden at Ham House stray no further than the tables and chairs but our for customers of the cafe and so they miss scenes like this of the path across the back of the garden leading, through a magnificent gate, to the main garden.

There have been changes to this part of the garden too. The border on the right has been tidied up and, to emphasise the point, a row of pots has been added that echoes that along the terrace across the back of the house.

102 Meadlands Drive

102 Meadlands Drive looks just like all of its neighbours but the sign proclaiming its house number is a bit special and very much worth a close look.

11 Sandpits Road has gone

When I last walked along Sandpits Road, less than two weeks ago, 11 Sandpits Road was still standing and while some work was being done on it there was no clue that it was the start of its demolition.

Then the phone calls started and I went back to take another look and the rumours were true, it had been demolished. This was done without planning permission, as was the case also with 1 Upper Ham Road, though one has now been submitted after the event. The justification that walls needed to be demolished to "make way for the rebuilding" seem thin to me but that is for Richmond Council to decide.

New wall in Mornington Walk

The first house in Mornington Walk, on the junction with Craig Road, always had a low wall (see this picture from 2007) and this has now been replaced with a similar one which also extends beyond the path to the front door.

Kitchen Garden and more

On this visit to Ham House the Kitchen Garden was looking lovely with several plants in flower.

Adding interest to the scene is the scaffolding and screening on the left that says something is happening to the Orangery cafe (which was still open), and the glimpse of Ham House on the right. 

PLEASE KEEP OFF THE GRASS

The various vehicles involved in some building works in Ham Farm Road have caused the grass along the edge to be worn away and this has prompted a concerned resident (I presume) to put out some PLEASE KEEP OFF THE GRASS SIGNS along the edge. Unfortunately on this day they had been either moved back beyond the area that needs protecting or placed around the waste bin.

New bench on Ham Common

The benches on Ham Common by the cricket pitch are popular, even when cricket is not being played, so it is good to see a new one arrive. This is in memory of Linda Maule.

Inappropriate porch

The new porch at the house at the end of Sandy Lane is similar to the one that it replaces but it is still wrong for the area. The other cottages in the area, particularly along Petersham Road, have nice wooden porches and building this one in brick makes it to heavy for the house.

Eight years ago the owner of the house next door built the sort of porch that the area deserves.

The Ham DELI

What used to be called The Ham Pantry is now called The Ham DELI and it has got a slightly different look to go with the slightly different name.