One hundred years after the passing of the 1902 Act of Parliament which protects the view from Richmond Hill over Ham and Petersham, Sir Roy Strong launched the Thames Landscape Strategy, Heritage Lottery Fund bid “Arcadia in the City”. Various projects were planned to enhance the riverside and surrounding areas on both the Ham and Twickenham sides of the river. Also in 2002, the renowned landscape architect, Kim Wilkie, launched the restoration management plan for the network of avenues around Ham House. In 2003 it was announced that Heritage Lottery Fund had awarded a grant of £2.2m for London’s Arcadia and projects were started to regenerate the Ham Avenues and the riverside. The Ham and Petersham Association has been very involved with the projects – rebuilding and painting the white gates on the Great South Avenue; helping to plant the area around the new board walk on the bottom of the Ham House field; replanting trees on the Copse and organising volunteer days to undertake the Avenue tree pruning work. Our photo shows wild flowers planted along the Great South Avenue from Ham House where it runs from Sandy Lane towards Ham Common.
It is one of the Ham and Petersham Association’s main aims to maintain the quality of our special semi-rural open environment, in the same spirit as our predecessors fought against development in the area to save the magnificent view of the Ham and Petersham river reaches from Richmond Hill. This action culminated in the 1902 Act. For more information link to London's Arcadia website |
