Our work
An artists impression of the Heart of the Park
© Cowper Griffith Architects
Heart of the Park project
This exciting £2.5m project has included
- Stable yard renovation to become the Heart of the Park
- Livinggreen exhibition space
- Waterwheel renovation and replacing its paddles
- Hydroelectric turbine to be installed in the River Wandle in 2012 to provide electricity for the stable yard
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Livinggreen exhibition space
Be inspired to live more sustainably
© NT/Morden Hall Park
There is an exhibition telling the story of how we restored the building and similar 'eco-renovations' you could do yourself. There is also be a temporary exhibition space, programme of activities and guided walks.
Waterwheel renovation
The waterwheel has been restored to its original appearance
© NT/Morden Hall Park
The remaining waterwheel has undergone conservation to go back to its appearance between 1825 and the early 20th century when the Mill was a working mill.
Unfortunately the wheel can not be restored to working order.
Behind the scenes
Participants helping to lay some of the pavers in the courtyard
© NT/Morden Hall Park
We held a series of Taster Days which enabled members of the public to learn more about sustainable renovation and have a look around the stable yard.
Participants also had the chance to get involved in the renovation project.
The stable yard renovation
Our head chef and catering manager in the stable yard café
© NT/Morden Hall Park
The project has renovated the stable yard to become the Heart of the Park and a centre for sustainable living, which opened on 5 November 2011. The stable yard provides a small café, offices for our staff, exhibition space, stalls for craft artists to sell their work, a family picnic area and toilets.
The stable yard is highly energy efficient, with
- insulated walls, floors and roofs
- photovoltaic solar panels to heat water and produce energy
- an air source heat pump which takes heat from the air to provide hot water or heating
- a wood burning stove to provide more heat
Most of our energy will come from the hydroelectric turbine in the river Wandle when it is installed in summer 2012. Excess renewable energy will be exported to the National Grid.
Hydroelectric turbine
A diagram showing how an Archimedes screw works
© Rehart GMBH
We are going to install an electricity generating turbine in the river Wandle behind the Snuff Mill and waterwheel called an Archimedes Screw, a low head micro hydro-electric turbine. This is a type of water pump, which acts like a modern waterwheel, by harnessing the power of the river in a new way to generate electricity. Water drives the turbine and makes electricity through a generator at the top.
We estimate that it will generate 63,000 kWh of electricity a year – that's about 12 times as much electricity as an average household uses. This will be more than enough to power the renovated stable yard.
The Archimedes Screw is fish-friendly and allows fish and eels to pass safely through the turbine. We will also install a fish pass and an eel pass to help fish and eels travel up and down the river to breed.
As far as we know, ours will be the first Archimedes Screw in London with construction starting behind the waterwheel at the beginning of next year and completion in summer 2012.
See the plan for the renovation of the waterwheel and installation of the Archimedes screw