Morden Hall Park

Morden Hall Park
Location Morden, London, England
Coordinates 51°24′4″N 0°11′15″W / 51.40111°N 0.18750°W / 51.40111; -0.18750Coordinates: 51°24′4″N 0°11′15″W / 51.40111°N 0.18750°W / 51.40111; -0.18750
Area 125 acres (51 ha)
Operated by National Trust
Public transit access Morden tube station and Phipps Bridge tram stop

Morden Hall Park is a National Trust park located on the banks of the River Wandle in Morden, south London. It covers over 50ha (125 acres) of parkland with the River Wandle meandering through it spanned by numerous footbridges. The estate contains Morden Hall itself, Morden Cottage, two Snuff Mills and the restored Stableyard with a dog-friendly cafe, exhibition space and second-hand bookshop. Morden Hall Park is also home to the National Trust's only Garden Centre.

History

White Bridge, Morden Hall Park
Morden Hall

The estate land was originally owned by Westminster Abbey. There is evidence of an earlier manor-house originally built by the Garth family where Morden Lodge now stands. The Hall dates back to the 1770s and contains a variety of natural landscapes, including the parkland of the "Deer Park", meadow and wetland. A number of historic buildings are located in the park, including the Hall itself and preserved watermills where tobacco was once ground into snuff.

The land was occupied by the Garth family for generations before the estate was split in two and Morden Hall was built. The Hall was occupied, as a school, for young gentlemen about 1840, until it was sold by Sir Richard Garth to a tobacco merchant Gilliat Hatfeild (1827–1906) in the 1870s.

The Hall was a military hospital during the First World War and later a Women and Children's hospital.

Gilliat Hatfeild's son, Gilliat Edward Hatfeild (1864–9 February 1941), left the core of the estate (including the house) to the National Trust, when he died. The Hall is now an exclusive Wedding Venue, offering a beautiful location together with fine foods and drink. It had previously been a Whitbread plc owned restaurant.

Gilliat Edward Hatfeild lived at the nearby Morden Cottage which he considered better suited to his life as a bachelor. The formal rose garden around the cottage hosts over 2000 roses and an unusual collection of ornamental trees, including one of the oldest yews in England.

Merton Council leased the land from the National Trust in 1941. Several [Pictorial] garden parties were hosted on the land in this time in aid of the [] with famous British actors such as [Attenborough], [Guiness] and [Roc] in attendance. Outside of the main park, the remainder of the estate has been swallowed up in housing developments stretching between Morden, South Wimbledon and Collier's Wood and an industrial estate at Deer Park Road.

Access

The main entrance to the park is a short walk from Morden town centre, and car parking is available in the Garden Centre car park. The Snuff Mills and Pottingshed Café are near to the main entrance.[1]

The Tramlink light rail line from Wimbledon to Croydon, Elmers End and New Addington runs through the northern part of the park, and Phipps Bridge and Morden Road tram stops give access to the park. They are respectively 0.3 mi (0.48 km) and 0.6 mi (0.97 km) walk through the park to the Snuff Mill and Riverside Café. Morden tube station (Northern line) and Morden South railway station (Thameslink) are respectively 0.4 mi (0.64 km) and 0.9 mi (1.4 km) walk through the town centre from the main entrance.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Morden Hall Park - Getting there". National Trust. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
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