Ham Common is an area of
common land
Common land is collective land (sometimes only open to those whose nation governs the land) in which all persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel.
A person ...
in
Ham, London. It is a
conservation area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...
in, and managed by, the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...
. It comprises , the second largest area of common land in the borough, smaller than
Barnes Common.
It is divided into two distinct habitats, grassland and woodland, separated by the
A307, Upper Ham Road. It is an area of ecological, historical and recreational interest, designated a
Local Nature Reserve.
Description
To the west of the Upper Ham Road lies a triangular
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
of approximately , bounded by mature trees and crossed by an
avenue that forms part of the southern approach to
Ham House
Ham House is a 17th-century house set in formal gardens on the bank of the River Thames in Ham, London, Ham, south of Richmond, London, Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The original house was completed in 1610 by Thomas ...
. There is a village pond near the western corner which attracts water fowl and other wildlife in the western section.
Ham Common Woods
On the eastern side of Upper Ham Road (A307) lies a larger wooded area, ''Ham Common Woods'', that extends for to
Richmond Park
Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...
in the east and
Sudbrook Park, Petersham to the north. The B352 road, ''Ham Gate Avenue'', crosses this area, linking the A307 to Richmond Park at Ham Gate.
The
Latchmere Stream, now
culvert
A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe (fluid conveyance), pipe, reinforced concrete or other materia ...
ed for most of its course, has its outfall in a pond near Ham Gate in Ham Common Woods. Two cedar trees were planted to mark
King George V's coronation in 1911.
Since the cessation of grazing in the 1930s, the eastern section has
transitioned from acid grassland
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...
with
gorse
''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are na ...
,
bracken
Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...
and
bramble, to mixed
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
woodland.
Pioneer birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
, now dying back, is giving way to
holly
''Ilex'' () or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
,
yew and oak. The thick under-storey of this habitat contrasts with the open, deer-grazed woodland in adjacent
Richmond Park
Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is the largest of Royal Parks of London, London's Royal Parks and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. It was created by Charles I of England, Cha ...
to the east and the mown grasslands of the western section and
Richmond Golf Club in Sudbrook Park to the north. The local authority and volunteer groups manage the habitat, keeping paths and
bridleway
A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a wider ...
s clear and removing invasive species such as
Snowberry
''Symphoricarpos'' is a small genus of about 15 species of deciduous shrubs in the family Caprifoliaceae. With the exception of the Chinese coralberry, ''Symphoricarpos sinensis, S. sinensis'', which is indigenous to western China, all species a ...
. The remaining open area of sandy, acid grassland has a noted colony of the
Ashy mining bee and other solitary bees.
Parts of Church Road, Ham Common are closed to traffic in spring to protect migrating
toad
Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.
In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...
s to cross safely. New ponds were constructed in early 2017 by Froglife and Richmond Council to provide a habitat for the Common Toad.
History
The map drawn up for
Charles I by
Nicholas Lane prior to the enclosure of Richmond Park in 1637 shows that the common land of Ham extended from its current area eastwards as far as ''Beverley Plains'' and
Beverley Brook
Beverley Brook is a -long river in the south-western suburbs of London, England. It rises in Worcester Park and joins the River Thames to the north of the Putney Embankment at Barn Elms, having flowed through the green spaces of Wimbledon Common ...
and the boundary with
Roehampton
Roehampton is an area in southwest London, sharing its SW15 postcode with neighbouring Putney and Kingston Vale, and takes up a far western strip, running north to south, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large counc ...
. The northern part of Ham Common in this area was continuous with Petersham Common, which, in turn linked to the smaller Richmond and Mortlake commons. Of the total enclosed by the park, fell within Ham's boundaries and, of that, was common land, the rest being agricultural land in private ownership or already owned by the crown. Charles I paid compensation to the commoners of Ham for their loss and granted them a
deed of gift of the remaining unenclosed common land for all time. The enclosure of the Park was one of several of Charles' unpopular acts that contributed to the unrest leading to the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. About ten years later,
Cromwell's Army camped on Ham Common on 18 November 1647, after the
Putney Debates
The Putney Debates, which took place from 28 October to 8 November 1647, were a series of discussions over the political settlement that should follow Parliament's victory over Charles I in the First English Civil War. The main participants wer ...
.
Apart from area of the present day Common, other common land existed around the enclosed farm land of Ham. Commoners also enjoyed
lammas rights on large areas of enclosed farmland adjoining the river.

Ownership of the common land lay with the lord of the Manor and, from the mid-17th century to the early 20th century, this was held by the
Earl of Dysart and the
Tollemache family. The management of Ham Common, as with most commons, moved from the
manorial court
The manorial courts were the lowest courts of law in England during the feudal period. They had a civil jurisdiction limited both in subject matter and geography. They dealt with matters over which the lord of the manor had jurisdiction, primar ...
s to a locally appointed
vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...
. The vestry records reveal typical recurring issues such as encroachment from adjacent land-owners, squatters (who might subsequently gain right of residence and add to the burden on the parish),
itinerant groups, over-grazing, nuisance of geese, pigs rooting and blocking drains, turf damage from exercising horses and grazing of animals by non-local owners including, on one occasion, a flock of 200 sheep from
Kingston! The common was protected by gates to prevent animals straying off. Gate houses were located near each corner of the western section of common, one on ''Ham Street'' by what is now
St Thomas Aquinas Church, Ham, and two on the Upper Ham Road, to the north by the ''New Inn'' and one to the south of the common. The latter still stands, 'erected by the inhabitants of Ham and Hatch, 1771' as an
almshouse
An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...
, 'restored by the Hon.
Mrs Algernon Tollemache, 1892', and again in 1968.
The defence of Ham Common
By the late Victorian period the increasing pressures for development on Ham Common caused by the rapid expansion of building in and around London were typical of those facing commons across the metropolis. The
Metropolitan Commons Acts 1866 to 1878 were passed to help preserve them.
Lord Dysart and the
Dysart Trustees sought to exploit the agricultural land of Ham and in particular the lammas land. In 1891 the Dysarts erected notices on the common warning that those removing "gravel, turf, etc without having obtained the license of the Lords of the Manor" would be liable for prosecution. They also erected notices on the lammas lands, affirming that 'trespassers will be prosecuted with the utmost rigour of the law'.

The villagers of Ham contested these actions, claiming that the Dysarts removal of gravel from the common for use at Ham House was outside the manorial right, as Ham House itself lay within the manor of Petersham. The boards also sought to restrict the rights of the commoners and four men were arrested having sawn down four of the six offending boards. Their defence was led by William Harry Harland, a journalist with the ''
Surrey Comet'', and the men were acquitted, despite the prosecution being led by no less than the
Solicitor General
A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...
,
Sir Edward Clarke QC.
In 1896 the Dysarts promoted ''The Petersham and Ham Lands Footpaths Bill'' seeking to enclose the of lammas lands. The bill was defeated by 262 votes to 118 as it was deemed to contravene the Metropolitan Commons Acts.
In December 1896, a local enquiry was established with the
Board of Agriculture to consider a scheme for the lammas lands under the Metropolitan Commons Acts. The Board determined that the provisions of the acts did not apply in this case.
The ''Metropolitan Commons (Ham) Supplemental Act 1901'' established a Board of Conservators to manage Ham Common.
Public ownership
A few years later, the
Private Bill
Proposed bills are often categorized into public bills and private bills. A public bill is a proposed law which would apply to everyone within its jurisdiction. A private bill is a proposal for a law affecting only a single person, group, or are ...
, the ''Richmond Hill (Preservation of View) Bill'', passed through the
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
stage. The latter bill contained the same proposals but more concessions than its predecessor and focused more on the preservation of the view from
Richmond Hill from urban development.

The bill was challenged, unsuccessfully, in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
with votes divided 179 in favour to 79 against. The
Richmond, Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act gained
Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...
on 18 November 1902.
The act transferred the Dysarts' residual manorial interests in Ham Common and vested them in
Ham Urban District Council. The Board of Conservators, established the preceding year, was dissolved in favour of Ham Urban District as well. The Dysart Trustees also gave £3000 to be invested for the upkeep of the common and any residual money to go to almhouses or other local charitable purposes. Whilst the act achieved its objectives, part of the inclusive settlement with the
Dysart Trustees extinguished the remaining lammas rights in Ham, thereby liberating the agricultural land for development. The arrangement was not without critics.
Henry Labouchère observed that Lord Dysart "... would get possession of 176 acres of lammas land and secure valuable building rights, notwithstanding that Parliament had decided that no common lands within a radius of fifteen miles of London should be built upon."
The ''Metropolitan Commons (Ham) Supplemental Act 1901'' mistakenly depicted a section of the grounds of ''Wilmer House'' as being part of the common. This error was rectified over fifty years later in the ''Metropolitan Common Scheme (Ham) Amending Scheme Confirmation Act, 1954''.
Notable buildings
There are many notable buildings around the periphery of Ham Common, including
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
s and those of Townscape merit.
Recreation
Ham Common is a popular local recreational amenity. A horse track crosses the common, linking Richmond Park to the river via the avenue to Ham House.
Ham and Petersham Cricket Club play regularly on the common during the season.
Since 1984, the local ''Ham Amenities Group'' have organised an annual village fair, usually on the second Saturday of June, in aid of local charities.
Travelling fairs and other ''ad-hoc'' recreational events also use the common.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Defra 'Magic' land use website
Photos of Ham Common with brief descriptions at Ham Photos blogPhotos of Ham Common Woods with brief descriptions at Ham Photos blog
{{Local Nature Reserves in Greater London
Common land in London
Forests and woodlands of London
Ham, London
Local nature reserves in Greater London
Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames