Morden Hall Park

Story

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 foot bridges. The estate contains Morden Hall itself, Morden Cottage, an old Snuff Mill, and many old farm buildings, some of which are now a garden centre and a city farm. The rose garden has over 2000 roses.HistoryThe estate land was originally owned by Westminster Abbey. There is evidence of an earlier manor-house, but the Hall dates back to the 1770s and contains a variety of natural landscapes, including the parkland of the "Deer Park", meadow and marshland. 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 Hall was owned and occupied by the Garth family for generations. It 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.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.