Morden Hall Park

Morden Hall Park is a National Trust park located on the banks of the River Wandle in Morden, south London. It covers over 50 hectares (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.

For the smaller park in Morden that contains Morden Park House, see Morden Park (park).

Morden Hall Park
LocationMorden, London, England
Coordinates51°24′4″N 0°11′15″W
Area125 acres (51 ha)
Operated byNational Trust
Public transit accessMorden tube station and Phipps Bridge tram stop


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.[1]

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.[2]

The Hall was a military hospital during the First World War and later a Women and Children's hospital.[2] Gilliat Edward Hatfeild lived at the nearby Morden Cottage.[2]

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.[2]

Several Sunday Pictorial garden parties were hosted on the land in this time in aid of the NSPCC with famous British actors such as Richard Attenborough, Alec Guinness and Patricia Roc in attendance.[3]

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.[4]

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.[4]

References
  1. "A history of the snuff mills at Morden Hall Park". National Trust. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  2. Historic England. "Morden Hall Park (1001336)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  3. "Film Star Garden Party Aka Outdoor Film Festival". British Pathe. 1947. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  4. "Morden Hall Park - Getting there". National Trust. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
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