Places to Visit in South London - Morden Hall and Ravensbury Parks

Twenty word blogpost - If you like the River Wandle and beautiful landscapes, located along a tram stop, these parks are perfect for you!

Right, that'll do for those who dislike reading.

1,000+ word blogpost - I went to Morden Hall Park at the start of October, at which point the trees were at their autumnal best - expect loads of orange leaves as you scroll down this blogpost. There was also lots of luscious greenery, and the area overall was beautiful. 

As with most public parks, this area used to be owned by a wealthy family, in this case the Garths and eventually tobacco merchant Gilliat Hatfield and his family. They eventually passed it on to the National Trust in 1941, and it is best known as a public park nowadays. 

It's not particularly difficult to get to Morden Hall Park - buses arrive from all different directions to Morden, from areas such as Putney, Epsom and Kingston, and the Northern line has been running to Morden for nearly a hundred years now. Tramlink is a relatively new addition to the area, and since opening in 2000, the easiest way to get into the park is to get off at Phipps Bridge - on one side is a residential estate near Colliers Wood; on the other is the park entrance.

At the start of my journey, I was asked by someone how to get to the garden centre - this being my first time here, I replied that I didn't know (this will be somewhat relevant later). Indeed, I had no clue where I should go, so down a series of footpaths I went, Google Maps at hand to point me in the direction I desired. At last, after walking past a row of saplings and wading through grass, I found the River Wandle, the main natural feature of this part of London. Thankfully, it's been left exposed instead of being covered up, as it would have been in other parts of south London. I could narrate how it was walking alongside it, but all I can add is that I walked along a footpath by the Wandle. Instead, here are two wonderful photos.

Carrying on alongside the river, I ended up by the Rose Garden, certainly a highlight for many visitors, containing a wide variety of roses. I must admit that I was more focused on the Wandle by this point, so I don't have much to say about it - instead, here's another photo, this time with a much narrower channel and steeper banks.

 

At this point I was in the heart of the park, and since this was a Saturday morning, parklife was in full swing, with plenty of dogwalkers and families visiting. One place where many would have visited was the Stableyard, which I was approaching at this point. As its name suggests, it was built for Hatfield to house his horses, a large clock on top of it. Since then, it has since turned into a place supporting toilets, a cafe, and a reading space for younger children - the ideal place to rest in the park.

Unexpectedly, there was also a second-hand bookshop - something I definitely didn't expect to see in any park. This specific one had lots of books at low prices, with titles varying from regular ficion to autobiographies to books on hiking trails, British towns and sport results. I found a copy of Graham Greene's Monsignor Quixote (in good condition), which the woman at the checkout said was a good book. I've not read it yet, but I'm certainly looking forward to it.

By the Stableyard, you may also spot a water wheel, which have become a symbol for Merton in a way. The borough's logo has a water wheel, or at least will have one until a garish redesign comes in, and within the borough, various wheels have been used for manufacturing, such as for tobacco production or treating fabrics. This includes the snuff mills, many of which were based along the Wandle - and this here is one of them. Closed now, obviously - the snuff industry isn't as big as it used to be - but at least preserved. There's even a working wheel at Merton Abbey, the only one of its kind in London - but that's for another time. 

And the namesake of the park is nearby too - Morden Hall, which is apparently open to the public occasionally, and its website suggests it can be rented out for weddings. But this was once the home of the Garths, bought from the Abbey of Westminster, and then Hatfield, who created a park around the area. Over time, the hall has also been used as a hospital for military patients, before being acquired by the National Trust in 1960. The history section of Morden Hall Park concludes by saying it's position as a wedding venue is "the next chapter" of Morden Hall's history, apparently.

 

I ended up leaving Morden Hall Park for a bit after passing through the garden centre where the Wandle passes through once more, but I'll talk about that in a moment. After re-entering the park, I continued straight ahead, pleasant greenery on either side, managing to take this photo of the Wandle, stunning autumnal trees on either side - possibly my favourite photo on this trip.

As I prepared to leave the area, soon to turn onto a footpath leading onto the A24, I managed to meet the woman from earlier - a happy coincidence if anything, not least as this bookended my trip, and I assume she did find the garden centre after all. She wasn't finished with her trip yet, but I was - after taking one final photo, onto the main road I went, down to Morden to catch a bus to get to West Sutton.

  

Now it's time to mention what I was doing after leaving Morden Hall Park the first time - I went to a different park!

Specifically Ravensbury Park, the smaller cousin to Morden Hall, one which the Wandle weaves through as well - and you can follow it as part of the Wandle Trail, which I did for a bit. At first I saw what looked like a workstation of some sorts, with housing on the other bank. Muddy footpaths soon followed, but I was ultimately rewarded for ruining my shoes with a magnificent view from the centre of the park. Standing on a footbridge, the river flowing beneath, trees tinged a light green surrounding it, I found the area beautiful, almost surprised such a place was nearby. I'm personally quite proud of the photo I produced. 

I continued along the path a bit further, before eventually turning back as I was unsure whether I could carry on further or not - thinking about it, I probably should have continued.

Other than that, my trip to two Morden parks was highly rewarding, as can be seen through the number of photos on this blogpost. They're definitely the best South London places that I've visited since starting this blog, maybe even the best places I've visited this half of the river in my life. Best of all, it's free, and unlike many tourist attractions, they don't try to enfore brands on you!