Morden Hall Park, London

morden hall park

Morden Hall, Morden, London, U.K. The house was built in 1770 in the Georgian style. The house and surrounding grounds were owned by the Hatfeild family, who made their fortune from the Virginia tobacco trade and snuff. The house now sits in Morden Hall Park, owned by the National Trust.

During my stay in London in the summer this year I spent a pleasant couple of hours walking around Morden Hall Park, which is located in Morden, in southwest London. The park is just a short drive from better-known Wimbledon. The park is owned by the National Trust, an organization that owns many properties around the country and preserves them for public enjoyment and education. My brother, who has lived in southwest London for several years, took me to the park on the last day of my visit to the British capital. Morden Hall Park is likely one of those places that is known primarily by local people and frequented mostly by people who live nearby. It is a local park, but one of historical significance for London as a whole. We approached the park by car along Morden Hall Road (A297) and parked in the parking area next to the Morden Hall Garden Centre, which is located in what was once the walled kitchen garden of Morden Hall, the main house on the “estate.” We could have taken a tube train, since the nearest tube station to the park is Morden, the southern-most stop on the Northern Line, from which the park is just a short walk.

snuff mill morden hall park

One of the two snuff mills that can be seen at Morden Hall Park. The mills are located on the River Wandle, which flows through the park.

Along Morden Hall Road, the park is hidden behind a high brick wall and the average passerby probably will not know that there is a beautiful park just the other side of the wall. A detailed history of the park can be found on the National Trust website, and information boards in the park tell the industrial history of some of the buildings that still exist on the site today. This history goes back to the year 1066, when the land where the park is located was owned by Westminster Abbey (i.e., the church). During the reign of King Henry VIII (1500s), the land was sold to Lionel Duckett and Edward Whitchurch, the latter being an early publisher of the Bible in English. In 1553, Whitchurch sold the estate to the Garths, a family which owned the estate for five generations and built the Morden Hall building in 1770, which still exists in the park today. The house was empty when I visited the park, but it is leased by the National Trust for special events. During the nineteenth century, the Garths sold the house and estate to another family, the Hatfeilds, who remained the owners until 1941 when ownership was transferred to the National Trust. It was the Hatfeilds who were responsible for the estate’s development as a snuff producer. Two snuff mills on the River Wandle, which flows through the estate, produced snuff from tobacco grown in Virginia, USA. Income derived from the snuff business allowed the family to complete the purchase of the Morden Hall estate in 1867.

rose garden morden hall park

The Rose Garden next to Mill Cottage at Morden Hall Park.

After parking our car, we walked through the garden center and entered the park. After turning right, we saw the clock tower and stables on our left and further along the trail there was the first of the two snuff mills. The stables have been converted into a shop, café and small museum but, unfortunately, these were closed at the time. So no morning coffee and cakes for us! We continued along the trail and walked past the mills on the River Wandle, which flows through the park. Next to the mills, there was the large and rather rustic building of Mill Cottage, where some of the mill workers lived. On the other side of the cottage there was a rose garden, which was arrayed with a multitude of colorful blooms. We continued past this garden and entered a large spacious area lined with avenues of large mature trees, which I think were mostly oak and beech with some horse chestnut. As the trail curved around to the right, we saw the hay meadow to our right and South Park to our left. The park seemed to be very popular with runners and people out walking their dogs. Such parks are among London’s most important treasures. Southwest London in particular is well served by spacious parks – which also includes Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common – that enable locals and visitors alike to experience a little of England’s countryside within the city. Morden Hall Park was a relatively small park but it had plenty of features that are of natural and historical interest. The National Trust does not charge a fee to use the park.

stone bridge morden hall

Pond and stone bridge in the grounds of Morden Hall.

 

morden hall park

Walking along the path between South Park and Hay Meadow, Morden Hall Park.

 

hay meadow

The Hay Meadow, Morden Hall Park.

 

south park

South Park, Morden Hall Park.

 

morden hall cottage

Mill Cottage at Morden Hall Park. This building dates from 1750 and was the home of the last private owner of the Morden Hall estate, Mr. Gilliat Edward Hatfeild, who returned from Virginia in 1906 to run the estate after the death of his father.

 

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