Splitting up of the Dysart Estate – by LGT

Those huge houses in that part of Petersham had all been part of the Dysart estate and it was split up, I think at the end of the 1950s.  They were all Dysart estate anyway and the Manor House… they were let off I think, because we were the first freehold owners of it. All those houses had been part of the Dysart estate, well finally it was broken up […]

Cottages in Evelyn Road – by HC

There was an outside loo, there was a coalhole and one has been able to gradually change it. But I remember when I moved in, two of the cottages still had gaslight and they had gaslight until 1972, when natural gas arrived and also, about the second week I’d moved in, I had a knock on the door from a lady who lived further down, and she said,’ can you […]

Carols on the Common – by VG

We had carols on the Common every Christmas for about six years we were doing that and also in the summer. Was this in the 80’s, 90’s?  The last one was 2005 and then the year of the centenary of the view from the top of the hill we did a very big one it was sponsored by Jason Debney, yes, anyway and we did a programme it was called […]

Memories of Ham 1918 onwards (complete) – by Mildred Howes

I have lived in Ham for over 50 years and have had connections with the area all my life. As a child our family used to come to Ham regularly and had friends here… My story really starts before I was born. My grandfather (who lived in Richmond) was lost at sea in 1918 near the end of the first world war and my father, who was 8, and his […]