Inventory Site Record

Morden Park was formerly a deer park within the Manor of Morden's Morden Hall estate. In the C18th part of the manorial lands were leased to London merchant John Ewart who built a house here called Morden Park. The Morden Hall and Morden Park estates were later reunited when Gilliat Hatfeild who had already purchased Morden Hall, purchased Morden Park. In 1945 Morden Park was purchased by Merton and Morden UDC, the house becoming council offices and 90 acres of grounds preserved as public open space. Features include remains of a crinkle-crankle wall, two outhouses reputedly used for deer, remnants of planting and a mound believed to be a Romano-British burial mound. Recent amenities include an open-air theatre. A large part of the park was designated as a local nature reserve in 2000.

Site location:

Epsom Road/ Lower Morden Lane/London Road, Morden

Postcode:

SM4 5PJ

What 3 Words:

robe.units.congratulations

Type of site:

Public Park

Borough:

Merton

Open to public?

Yes

Opening times:

unrestricted

Special conditions:

Model aircraft are permitted within a designated zone

Facilities:

Playground, paddling pool, football and cricket pitches, outdoor gym; pitch and putt accessed from adjacent leisure centre; car park, toilets

Events:

Public transport:

Rail: Morden South, St Helier. Bus: 80, 93, 154, 293.

Citymapper    
Google Map    
streetmap.co.uk

Research updated:

31/07/2025

Last minor changes:

19/01/2026

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.merton.gov.uk/environment/openspaces/parks/parks_in_the_morden_area

The park was once a deer park, originally within the Manor of Morden's Morden Hall estate, which was owned from the C16th-C18th by the Garth family. in the latter C18th part of the estate lands were leased to London merchant and distiller John Ewart who built a house here in 1770, calling it Morden Park; his Morden Park estate had much the same footprint as the public park. At that time much of the estate was in agricultural use until the early C20th and mature trees may once have been field boundaries. John Ewart lived at Morden Park until 1788 after which the estate passed through a number of different owners, eventually purchased by Gilliat Hatfeild, who had already purchased Morden Hall, thus reuniting the two estates.

In 1945 Morden Park was purchased from the Hatfeild family by Merton and Morden UDC and the house and 90 acres were preserved as public open space, the house used as council offices. Behind the house is a courtyard and the remains of a crinkle-crankle wall. Two round single-storey outhouses were reputedly where deer slept in the winter. The courtyard used to have eight chestnut trees and a well, with a fig tree near the house. The walled garden is no longer in existence but one or two trees, including a large pear tree, may be a remnant of planting. The park consists of extensive parkland with mature trees grouped in copses and a continuous belt around the edges. A distinctive 40 feet mound within the park situated within woodland is believed to be a Romano-British burial mound, once used as a base for a summer house. A railed area is the site of an old velodrome. Among amenities added to the public park is an open air theatre with hedged enclosure. Part of the area is leased to the London Playing Fields Association. Trees for Cities, in partnership with Merton Council, have produced education packs for schools, and also installed interpretative boards with information about the park's history, archaeology and ecology.

New trees were planted as part of the Capital Woodlands Project in order to preserve the future of the woodland. Local schools and volunteers participated in the project, which ran from 2007-2010 and was managed by Trees for Cities. Species native to the British Isles were planted, including silver birch, hazel, hawthorn, holly, blackthorn, English oak, rowan, yew and lime. The Capital Woodlands Project was developed by members of the London Biodiversity Partnership's Woodland Action Group, led by Greater London Authority; it was awarded £999,500 by the Heritage Lottey Fund in 2007. Morden Park was one of 6 flagship woodlands participating in the project, the others being Claybury Wood, LB Redbridge; Coldfall Wood, LB Haringey; Peabody Hill, LB Lambeth; Scadbury Park, LB Bromley and Birch and Rowdown Woods, LB Croydon.

Sources consulted:

Pevsner London 2: South; Evelyn Jowett, 'An Illustrated History of Merton and Morden', Merton and Morden Festival of Britain Local Committee, 1951; Ian Yarham, Dave Dawson, Martin Boyle, Rebecca Holliday 'Nature Conservation in Merton, Ecology Handbook 29', London Ecology Unit, 1998; Alan Scott & Barry Nicholson for LB Merton 'Morden Park Management Plan' (2000); https://www.lbp.org.uk/04news.html

Grid ref:

TQ245675 (524550,167550)

Size in hectares:

39.66

Site ownership:

LB Merton (part leased by London Playing Fields Association)

Site management:

Leisure and Culture Services

Date(s):

1770; 1945

Designer(s):

Listed structures:

LBII*: Morden Park including walls and pair of circular garden buildings. SAM: Mound

On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No

Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No

Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:

No

In Conservation Area:

Yes

Conservation Area name:

Upper Morden

Tree Preservation Order:

No

Nature Conservation Area:

Yes - Borough Importance II

Green Belt:

No

Metropolitan Open Land:

Yes

Special Policy Area:

Yes - Archaeological Priority Zone (part)

Other LA designation:

Local Nature Reserve. Public Open Space. Green Corridor

Morden Park - Photo: Colin Wing
Date taken: 10/09/18 14:03

Click a photo to enlarge.

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