HAMMING IT UP
Those hankering after the country life might just find this London enclave with riverside meadows the perfect place to take down the sails. Anthea Masey goes for a stroll
The village of Ham and its neighbour, Petersham, are tucked into a great, sweeping curve on the south side of the Thames. Surrounded by green space, this slice of south-west London offers a semi-rural feel that families love, and boasts one of the UK’s most-haunted properties – Ham House, its very own stately home.
Many families moving to Ham have been priced out of more expensive Richmond, which lies to the north. They are also drawn by Grey Court School, Ham’s co-education secondary, rated “outstanding” by the Ofsted education watchdog. With Kingston upon Thames to the south, Ham is linked to the more populous Teddington, on the north side of the river, by a footbridge that crosses over picturesque Teddington Lock.
“Ham never had a railway station so there aren’t the rows of Victorian terrace houses that were so often built after the arrival of the railway in a neighbourhood,” says estate agent Stan Shaw, of local company Mervyn Smith. “Instead, Ham remained agricultural for much longer.”
The lack of a station is, of course, a trade-off for commuters. While appreciating Ham’s country feel, they have to suffer the frustration of traffic-logged Petersham Road on their way to pick up the District-line Tube, the London Overground or main-line trains at Richmond station. Ham has a good supply of houses from the Fifties and Sixties that are fashionable again with today’s young first-time buyers. Parkleys was the first development by Fifties property company Span, which became famous for its well-designed estates of flats and townhouses. Stan Shaw says early photos of Parkleys, which is now Grade II listed, show the place full of prams. “It is now full of buggies, so the estate has gone full circle.”
Ham House, owned by the National Trust, is one of the grandest surviving 17th-century mansions. Occupying a prime site overlooking the river, it was one of the most fashionable houses during the Restoration that saw Charles II returned to the throne. The trust runs popular ghost tours of the house, and there’s a restored formal garden to enjoy – a style popular in the 17th century – along with a productive, walled kitchen garden that provides fruit and veg for the tourist café.
Property scene
Ham and Petersham have fine large Georgian houses, one of which was home for years to singer Tommy Steele, now 80, while Ormeley Lodge on Ham Common is owned by socialite Lady Annabel Goldsmith. There are also period cottages, plus Thirties semis, including some in mock-Tudor style. As well as the Fifties Parkleys estate, there are listed blocks of late-Fifties brutalist flats in Langham House Close off Ham Common, the work of architects James Gowan and James Stirling, and the Wates estate of Sixties townhouses and flats.
What’s new?
Richmond Chase is the Berkeley Homes development of Latchmere House, the former jail in Church Road. There will be 70 new homes, some in restored 19th-century Latchmere House itself, and some newbuild. The Dutch-gabled house, flanked by two gatehouses, will overlook a new garden square. Twelve three-, four-and five-bedroom houses are for sale off-plan now, for completion by spring next year, priced £1.44m to £1.84m. The whole development completes in 2019. Call JLL on 020 3883 4198.
The largest new-homes scheme on the horizon involves the regeneration of Ham Close, owned by housing association Richmond Housing Partnership. The proposal is still on the drawing board so has not yet reached planners, but is set to offer 400 homes. Estate agent Stan Shaw says that while local people welcome the building of good-quality social housing, there are misgivings about the size of the proposed scheme.
Renting
Given that there is no station, Ham’s rental market is surprisingly strong, says Shaw, with flight crews from London airports, German families with children at The German School London, and parents looking to rent near other good local schools. There will be 13 affordable homes at Richmond Chase but the housing association has not yet been appointed.
Staying power
Families who enjoy the outdoor life and the semi-rural peace offered by Ham like to stay. Postcode TW10, one of two Richmond postcodes, covers both Ham and Petersham.
Best roads
Ham Common, Ham Gate Avenue, and Church Road.
Up and coming
Estate agent Stan Shaw, of local company Mervyn Smith, recommends the simple Fifties terrace houses in Petersham behind Ham Polo Club, in the likes of Meadlands Drive and Buckingham Road, where enterprising owners are making interesting improvements.
Transport
Commuting from Ham by public transport is reliant on the buses, which run regularly – but slowly at peak
times – along the A307, Upper Ham Road and Petersham Road, and along Tudor Drive and Dukes Avenue. The No 65 and No 371 go to Richmond and Kingston stations. The K5, starting at the junction of Tudor Drive and Dukes Avenue, goes to Kingston station. Richmond is in Zone 4 of the Tube, with an annual travelcard to Zone 1 priced at £1,860. Kingston is in Zone 6 – the travelcard is £2,364.
Council
Most of Ham lies within Richmond, where Band D council tax for 2016/2017 is £1,582.39. On its southern and eastern edge, Ham falls within Kingston upon Thames, with Band D council tax of £1,682.58. Both authorities are Tory controlled.
Shops and restaurants
Ham has a small shopping area along Upper Ham Road close to the junction with Tudor Drive and Dukes Avenue where there is a branch of Sainsbury’s Local, a fruit shop, a baker, a patisserie and Wendy’s Workshop, a popular pottery workshop. The Ham Pantry is the local delicatessen. There are local shops in Ashburnham Road including the Backhaus German Bakery and Deli, and along Ham Street, where there is another German delicatessen, Hansel & Pretzel, plus The Palm Centre, a garden centre that specialises in exotic plants.
The Cardinal in Tudor Drive is a gastropub serving Italian food, but the area’s best and most notable restaurant is at Petersham Nurseries in Church Lane. There you’ll find the fine dining restaurant and a more relaxed café, both in the greenhouses of the lovely garden centre.
Open Space
Ham is surrounded by green space with walks along the Thames Path, past Ham House and direct access to the 2,360 acres of Richmond Park.
Leisure and the arts
Many Ham residents are keen on outdoor activities, while for culture they make for the theatres and cinemas in Richmond and Kingston. Ham Polo Club is the last surviving polo club in Greater London, with matches at the ground every Saturday between May and September. Ham and Petersham Cricket Club plays on Ham Common. Courts at Ham and Petersham Lawn Tennis Club, off Ham Common, are shared with Grey Court School. Thames Young Mariners outdoor activity centre is run by Surrey county council on a large lake off the Thames surrounded by the Ham Lands nature reserve. It runs holiday clubs and family days offering a range of outdoor activities including sailing and canoeing.
Schools
Primary: All three Ham primary schools are judged “good”. They are: The Russell School in Petersham Road; Meadlands in Broughton Avenue and St Richard’s CofE in Ashburnham Road. There are two “outstanding” primary schools in Kingston at the edge of Ham: Fern Hill in Richmond Road and Latchmere in Latchmere Road.
Grammar: Kingston has two “outstanding” grammar schools which take their pupils from a wide southwest London catchment area. These are The Tiffin Girls’ School (ages 11 to 18) in Richmond Road, and Tiffin School (boys, ages 11 to 18) in Queen Elizabeth Road.
Comprehensive: The German School London (co-education, ages 3 to 18) in Douglas House off Petersham Road is the reason why so many German families settle in Ham. For other families the big draw is Grey Court School, the local comprehensive school, which is rated “outstanding” by Ofsted. The Kingston Academy (co-education, ages 11 to 18) in Richmond Road is a free school which opened in September 2015 and has not yet been inspected by Ofsted.
Private: King’s House (boys, ages 3 to 13) in Kings Road, Richmond is the nearest private preparatory school. Kingston Grammar (co-education, ages 11 to 18) in London Road, Kingston is a popular private secondary school.