Things to do at Morden Hall Park

View of frosty landscape and sunshine through tree with man walking at Morden Hall Park, London, in the winter. — Enjoy winter walks at Morden Hall Park | © National Trust Images/John Miller

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.

Looking for a friendly place to bring your dog? Come along to Morden Hall Park where there’s 125 acres of beautiful parkland for you and your four-legged friend to explore.

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

What's on at Morden Hall Park

We organising a variety of events and activities in the park throughout the year for the local community to take part in. Come and join us this January for our annual Wassail event or explore nature in the Wetlands with our Big Wetland Birdwatching event.

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

Cycling through Morden Hall Park, London, in the winter. — Cycling through Morden Hall Park in the winter | © National Trust Images/John Miller

Walking and Cycling

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.

Follow the Wandle Trail

The park sits in the middle of the 14-mile (20km) Wandle Trail, which follows the route of the River Wandle from Croydon to Wandsworth. There are both walking and cycling routes which allow you to enjoy the heritage, flora and fauna of this typical chalk stream.

Find a map of the Trail on the Merton Council website.

Looking for a friendly place to bring your dog? Come along to Morden Hall Park where there’s 125 acres of beautiful parkland for you and your four-legged friend to explore.

Follow our cycle code

Please consider other park users at all times
Control your speed according to the surface conditions
Please dismount on the wetland boardwalk as the pathway is too narrow
Help us care for Morden Hall Park and use the litter bins provided
Take care when cycling over the bridges.

Go orienteering

Add an extra challenge to your walk or run through Morden Halk Park and have a go at orienteering. Whether you're walking with family, exploring an area or going for a run, download the map and look for the 14 posts in the park. Your challenge is to find the quickest route to each of the posts.

The route has been created by Mole Valley Orienteering Club and you can download the map from their website or the Go Orienteering website.

Explore the park's historic 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.

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.

View of wetlands through autumn leaves. — Enjoy a walk through the wetlands this Autumn | © Andrew Butler

Winter in the park

Winter is a great time to enjoy the open spaces offered by Morden Hall Park, when there are no leaves to obscure the views from the avenues. Walk out into the South Park across the white bridge and return along the river from the Surrey Arms entrance through the rose garden. The arboretum at the far end of the rose garden is home to early snowdrops, so watch out from mid to late January for their blooms.

Fun for children, whatever the weather

Wrap up the little ones for fresh air and fun in the recently refurbished natural play area to keep up their immune systems, motor skills and physical fitness. If the weather gets too cold or wet, head indoors to the café, garden centre or bookshop to relax and warm up.

Take some time for you

Grab every opportunity to get outside during daylight hours. Exercise in nature helps boost your immune system, lowers risk for chronic diseases and reduces stress levels. When you’ve walked your favourite route or explored some of the less-visited corners of the park and built up a healthy appetite, try the Stableyard Gallery and Café for some hot soup and some artistic food for your eyes.

Why not pop next door to browse the second-hand bookshop, with its collectables and shelves packed with classics, non-fiction and bestsellers, then take a short walk over to the extremely well-stocked garden centre to get some ideas for your garden, or pick up unique gifts and delicious treats.

Winter wetland magic

If you're an early bird, head down to meet the wildlife in the wetland. Frosty, misty mornings in the wetland are peaceful and full of beauty – the perfect antidote to a busy day in south London.

At Morden Hall Park there are some rather special winter visitors. The resident birds are joined by little egret and snipe in winter, which make the wetland a good destination for birdwatching. Tread quietly and the boardwalk allows you to get really close to the birds.

Visitor wearing headphones with eyes closed in the wetland area at Morden Hall Park, London — Visitor in the wetland area at Morden Hall Park, London | © National Trust Images/Megan Taylor

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.