Ham

Ham sits on the north bank of the River Thames within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, built around Ham Common and a small village centre. The area includes Ham House, a 17th-century riverside house managed by the National Trust, and stretches along the Thames towpath. Much of the riverside here is part of Ham Lands, a former gravel extraction area now managed for nature, with reedbeds, wetlands and gravel islands that attract wading birds. The local road layout and short streets retain a village pattern, and housing ranges from terraces to larger riverside homes.

Community life centres on the common and the riverside. A notable local institution is Ham Polo Club, based on Ham Common and hosting matches through the season, which sets the area apart within inner London. Schools, a parish church and small shops cluster near the green, and regular bus links connect to the wider borough. Floodplain management and conservation measures shape riverside access and footpaths, so the balance between public spaces and protected habitats is an ongoing feature of the neighbourhood.