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Morden Hall Park (NT) and Abbey Mills Short Walk

NT parkland, streams, watermills, and Abbey Mills heritage site

Easy London Short

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Thu, 09-Jan-25 Evening Walk - Morden Hall Park and Merton Abbey Mills - The River Wandle, Reedbeds and Boardwalks, 2 Pub Stops: Morden to Colliers Wood 6 cold under clear skies and a near full moon
Wed, 14-Dec-22 Evening Walk - The River Wandle, Reedbeds and Boardwalks, 2 Pub Stops: Morden to Colliers Wood 2 cold
Thu, 03-Oct-19 Evening Walk - Morden Hall Park and Merton Abbey Mills (Morden to Colliers Wood) 5 very overcast but substantially dry
Thu, 14-Sep-17 Evening Walk - Morden Hall Park and Merton Abbey Mills [First Posting] 9 autumnal

Thursday 09-Jan-25

Thomas G
Length: 4.6 km (2.9 mi)
Net Walking Time: 1 ½ hrs
Meet: Morden Station at 18.45 hours.

Morden station is the southern terminus of the Northern Line, and in Zone 4. Travel time from Bank is 32 minutes. Colliers Wood is 2 stops closer to Central London on the same line.

This walk will have to circumvent the core of the NT's Morden Hall Park with its rose garden etc. as that area will be shut for the day, and instead focus on the still accessible waterways, reed beds, and parkland and then follow the River Wandle in a northerly direction. After passing Deen City Farm , it passes Merton Abbey Mills , a collection of heritage industrial buildings which are now cafés, bars and restaurants. Morden Hall Park has an interesting history. In Henry VIII's time, this area was part of Merton Abbey. In the 18th century, the area became an estate with a deer park, a cress farm, and had watermills. The last owner of the estate held large film star fairs in the 30's. The estate is now owned by the National Trust and the Hall is empty. Merton Abbey Mills is a former William Morris 'arts and crafts'-factory.

Eat/Drink: a whole host of options at Merton Abbey Mills (see here for details: https://www.mertonabbeymills.org.uk/eat-drink/), including The Merton Apprentice ; as well as The Charles Holden or The Royal Standard by Colliers Wood tube station.

For walk directions , map, and gpx/kml files click here . T=short.13

  • Thu, 09-Jan-25

    5 met at Morden Station and embarked on the walk in the light of what looked like a 3/4 moon, i.e. headtorches were not really needed, especially as the ground was not frozen and there was no snow or ice anywhere. We stuck to the main gravel path through Morden Hall Park, due to the riverside path looking too muddy for anyone's liking.

    Upon leaving the boardwalk through the wetlands by the tramline crossing, walker number 6 caught up with us. A bit later, a break was had at The William Morris pub (liquid refreshments, no food), and after that we all headed straight to Colliers Wood station without another pub stop for a bus or the tube.

    cold under clear skies and a near full moon

Wednesday 14-Dec-22

Thomas G
Length: 4.6 km (2.9 mi)
Net Walking Time: 1 ½ hrs
Meet: Morden Station at 18.30 hours.

Morden station is the southern terminus of the Northern Line, and in Zone 4. Travel time from Bank is 32 minutes. Colliers Wood is 2 stops closer to Central London on the same line.

This walk will have to circumvent the core of the NT's Morden Hall Park with its rose garden etc. as that area will be shut for the day, and instead focus on the still accessible waterways, reed beds, and parkland and then follow the River Wandle in a northerly direction. After passing Deen City Farm, it passes Merton Abbey Mills, a collection of heritage industrial buildings which are now cafés, bars and restaurants. Morden Hall Park has an interesting history. In Henry VIII's time, this area was part of Merton Abbey. In the 18th century, the area became an estate with a deer park, a cress farm, and had watermills. The last owner of the estate held large film star fairs in the 30's. The estate is now owned by the National Trust and the Hall is empty. Merton Abbey Mills is a former William Morris 'arts and crafts'-factory.

Eat/Drink: The Merton Apprentice at Merton Abbey Mills; The Charles Holden, or The Royal Standard by Colliers Wood tube station.

For walk directions, map, and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.13

  • Mon, 12-Dec-22

    In Abbey Mills, The Merton Apprentice is more of a outside seating summer pub. The William Morris (gastro, half price happy hour 6-7pm) would be warmer. By the tube station, the (gastro) Charles Holden is the nicer of the 2. Another choice is The Kiss Me Hardy (Hungry Horse chain, think big plates with chips) does have £5 bottles of wine on Wednesdays - the rosé is the least bad of the 3.

  • Wed, 14-Dec-22

    Which pub are you in?

  • Wed, 14-Dec-22

    Where was I? In the William Morris from minute 20 of the Semi-Final to the end of the first half, then in the Charles Holden for the second half.

    I had arrived a few minutes late for the posted start time due to trouble getting out of my postcode by bus. I duely walked the loop through the park, which was very eerie, with the bright lights of London collaborating with the grey skies and the reflections off the snow and ice to make a headtorch superfluous.

    [Aside: Still astonished by that British 'strategy' of dealing with freshly fallen snow on pavements and footpaths in urban parks: just leave it to itself so that the power of trampling feet and the continuous freeze/thaw action turn it into a solid layer of ice. Why not clear it away on day 1? I thought A&E departments were busy enough without adding OAPs with broken bones to the rush after falling on icy paths?]

    On over the boardwalks and through the reedbeds (very nice in the tame light) and across the tram line. There was a diversion in place for a bridge replacement, which meant a few hundred metres of semi-muddy path. As above, I then had time for some bar food and a glass of fermented grape juice at the William Morris before moving on to the Charles Holden for more unhealthy calories.

    Great walk for winter evenings, I'd say. One to repeat.

    1 cold

  • Thu, 15-Dec-22

    I did some of the walk backwards and looked in on the pubs, but must have missed you. I rather enjoyed walking around in the dark but with the clear but eerie light reflected from the snow and clouds.

  • Thu, 15-Dec-22

    2

Thursday 03-Oct-19

Thomas G
Length: 4.6 km (2.9 mi)
Net Walking Time: 1 ½ hrs
Meet: Morden Station at 18.00 hours.
Morden station is the southern terminus of the Northern Line, and in Zone 4. Travel time from Bank is 32 minutes. Colliers Wood is 2 stops closer to Central London on the same line.
This walk will have to circumvent the core of the NT's Morden Hall Park with its rose garden etc. as that area will be shut for the day, and instead focus on the still accessible waterways, reed beds, and parkland and then follow the River Wandle in a northerly direction. After passing Deen City Farm , it passes Merton Abbey Mills , a collection of heritage industrial buildings which are now cafés, bars and restaurants.
Morden Hall Park has an interesting history. In Henry VIII's time, this area was part of Merton Abbey. In the 18th century, the area became an estate with a deer park, a cress farm, and had watermills. The last owner of the estate held large film star fairs in the 30's. The estate is now owned by the National Trust and the Hall is empty. Merton Abbey Mills is a former William Morris 'arts and crafts'-factory.
Eat/Drink: The Merton Apprentice at Merton Abbey Mills; The Charles Holden , or The Royal Standard by Colliers Wood tube station.

For walk directions, map, and gpx/kml files click here . T=short.13
  • Thu, 03-Oct-19

    The forecast was for quite a bit of the wet stuff, but it never really rained. Drops yes, rain no, i.e. very overcast but substantially dry

    4 off the train, 1 more met on the boardwalk in the wetlands (having walked back the route from Colliers Wood), i.e. 5

    We stopped at The Merton Apprentice and 4 of us then also stopped at The Charles Holden for a meal, some chat and a few liquids.

Thursday 14-Sep-17

Thomas G
Morden Hall Park and Merton Abbey Mills (Morden to Colliers Wood)
Length: 4.6 km (2.9 mi)
Net Walking Time: 1 ½ hrs
Meet: Morden Station at 18.45 hours.
Morden station is the southern terminus of the Northern Line, and in Zone 4. Travel time from Bank is 32 minutes. Colliers Wood is 2 stops closer to Central London on the same line.
First Outing of this South London walk, short enough to finish before darkness.
This walk does a loop around the NT's Morden Hall Park (free entry) with rose garden, waterways, reed beds, and parkland and then follows the River Wandle in a northerly direction. After passing Deen City Farm, it passes Merton Abbey Mills, a collection of heritage industrial buildings which are now cafés, bars and restaurants.
Morden Hall Park has an interesting history. In Henry VIII's time, this area was part of Merton Abbey. In the 18th century, the area became an estate with a deer park, a cress farm, and had watermills. The last owner of the estate held large film star fairs in the 30's. The estate is now owned by the National Trust and the Hall is empty. [Cafés and shops in the grounds will be shut in the evening.]
Merton Abbey Mills is a former William Morris 'arts and crafts'-factory.
Eat/Drink: The William Morris and The Merton Apprentice at Merton Abbey Mills; The Charles Holden, or The Royal Standard by Colliers Wood tube station.

For walk directions, map, and gpx/kml files click here. T=short.13
  • Anonymous
    Tue, 12-Sep-17

    A few of us did this as an eveing walk several years ago, probably before it was officially written up. It will make a pleasant evening stroll.

  • Tue, 12-Sep-17

    The Mordern Hall car park will also be closed (according to the sign). Free street parking after 6:30pm. Around Liberty Avenue, SW19 2RQ is always free

  • Fri, 15-Sep-17

    Last week we couldn't get out of a park (as it was locked for the night), this week we couldn't get in, at least not along the prescribed route, as the NT part of Morden Hall Park incl. the Rose Garden gets locked at 18.00, so the 7 of us (incl. one first timer having been coaxed in via Meetup) strolled along the road to locate the public r-o-w access into the park and linked up with the swc route from the edge of the Rose Garden. Halfway during our subsequent loop through the park we bumped into 2 others, one having walked in from Carshalton, one the creator of the walk and nearby resident, so 9 then continued in autumnal coolish weather along the new-ish long boardwalk through the wetlands part and on along The Wandle River to Merton Abbey Mills. Suggestions of a drink there were voted down on account of wanting to get to near the tube before darkness, and 7 then ended up in the Charles Holden for a bevvie or three.

    The alternative access route will be added to the gpx and text.