Things to do at Morden Hall Park

Visitor walking a dog by the River Wandle in Morden Hall Park, London. — Enjoy autumn ambles at Morden Hall Park | © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

Open all year, Morden Hall Park is an urban oasis – an opportunity to escape city life, enjoy the open green space and discover wildlife and nature. As you walk through open meadows crisscrossed by tree-lined avenues, wooded riverside and wetlands, you see hints to the park’s heritage including the Rose Garden and Snuff Mill. There’s a natural play area for our younger visitors and cafés and a garden centre to make the most of your visit.

Explore the park

Don’t miss out on seeing some of the favourite spots in the park. Pause to enjoy the sounds of the rushing river or spot wildlife in the wetlands. Admire the views across the bridges to the historic buildings.

Rain or shine, the park always looks inviting and magical especially if you get here early in the morning before everyone else. Many of the buildings aren’t open to the public as they’re tenanted to raise valuable income for the park.

Here are some of the special spots you won’t want to miss:

Look back from the white bridge to the restored waterwheel
Peer over the folly bridges to see Morden Hall
Watch the sun come up over the meadows
Take to the trails: find out about exploring on foot or by bike

If you would like to discover more about the history of the park, join our knowledgeable tour guides for a leisurely stroll around the park. Our free history tours run every Sundays at 11am and 12.30pm. There's no need to book, just turn up. You can find more about this and other events taking place at Morden Hall Park by clicking the button below.

What's On at Morden Hall Park

A family walking in the autumn at Morden Hall Park, London. — A family walking in the autumn at Morden Hall Park | © National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Autumn in the park

Crisp autumnal days are the perfect time to visit Morden Hall Park. The historic avenues are planted with limes and horse chestnuts and become a riot of colour crisscrossing the park as the weather changes - a great place to collect conkers.

In the Rose Garden, look out for the Gingko Biloba with its bright golden leaves and russet colours of hornbeam which all add to the cornucopia of colour in park. It's the perfect place to kick through the leaves, collect conkers and simply enjoy the change in season. On cooler days, as the mist begins to rise off the River Wandle, head onto the boardwalk as the sun rises to discover delightful misty moments full of wetland wildlife.

Nature and wildlife

Spiders are easiest to see at this time of year, and their webs look beautiful when covered in dew and shining in the morning sunshine. The wooden bridges towards the wetlands are a great place to spot the webs. Fungi start to pop up across the site, especially in bark chippings and on old fallen logs, so visitors might be lucky enough to spot some before the squirrels and slugs make a meal of them. In the autumn, visitors should keep an eye out for jays and squirrels collecting and burying nuts.

Autumn Apples

We have several small orchards across the heart of the park with a focus on Merton Variety Fruit including many apples, pears and cherries. These are varieties that were developed during the fruit trials at the world famous John Innes Horticultural Institute, with some of these trees thought to have been planted in the park in Mr Hatfeild’s lifetime. The National Trust have added to the orchards by sourcing and grafting these varieties, some of which are now rare. Most can be seen fruiting from the end of August well into autumn.

The park's historical buildings

Spot all the old estate buildings that made up the Hatfeilds’ country estate. Morden Hall sits majestically in its own private garden, the white bridge tempting you to get a little bit closer.

Morden Cottage, set perfectly in Mr Hatfeild’s rose garden, boasts fond memories of many registry office weddings.

The restored Stableyard welcomes you inside to discover the exhibition centre hosting a changing programme of community exhibitions.

The River Wandle

Once powering over 100 mills, the Wandle meanders throughout the park. The restored waterwheel gives a glimpse back to the park’s industrial history. The wheel no longer turns, but behind it you can see the modern waterwheel, a hydro-electric turbine.

Enjoy the sounds of the rushing water over the weir, race your sticks under the many historic bridges or simply explore the channels that network around the park.

For a longer walk, follow the Wandle Trail to the Thames passing Merton Abbey Mills or up to its source in historic Carshalton village.

Fishing at Morden Hall Park

To allow fish to breed in peace in Morden Hall Park we enforce the traditional closed season for coarse fishing from 15 March to 15 June inclusive. You can view more information about fishing in the park here.

Staying safe around water

Whilst the river might be inviting, it is not safe to enter, either for paddling or swimming. It is fast flowing, varies in depth and has unseen hazards that may result in serious injury or death. In addition, the water quality is unsuitable. Your cooperation in staying out of the water also helps us to protect the river wildlife and avoid damage to the banks.

Children in the adventure play area at Morden Hall Park, London — Children in the adventure play area at Morden Hall Park | © National Trust Images/Rob Stothard

Watching wildlife in the wetlands

At the north end of the park discover the wetlands fed by the Wandle. Take to the boardwalk to watch and listen for a variety of wildlife visitors, from the squawk of the invading green parakeets to the blue flash of native kingfishers.

The viewing platform on the boardwalk is a great place to get close to waterfowl such as mallards, herons and seasonal visitors including the little egret.

Woodland beauty

One of the most beautiful aspects of Morden Hall Park is the sheer number of trees. Head in any direction you like to discover magnificent specimen trees and pockets of woodland.

The adventure play area

The natural play area is all about fun - with a zip wire, play fort, stepping stones, bucket swings and climbing posts. Whether your youngsters are into imaginative play or physical challenge, there’s something for them to enjoy here.

Family facilities at Morden Hall Park

Baby-changing facilities are available in the Stableyard toilets, Snuff Mill, and Potting shed café. Pathways around estate are level and accessible for pushchairs. There is a toddlers and children book section available in our second-hand bookshop.

Thank you for your support

Morden Hall Park is open to everyone throughout the year for free. The cafés and garden centre help raise money to keep the park looking splendid. Every coffee you drink and gift you buy helps look after this lovely place.