Morden Park - Epsom Road, Morden, UK - Municipal Parks and Plazas on Waymarking.com

The Merton Council website tells us about the park:

Morden Park was formerly part of the Morden Park Estate and once a deer park originally within the Manor of Morden's Morden Hall estate, which was owned from the 16th-18th century by the Garth family. In the 1700s part of the manor lands were leased to London merchant and distiller John Ewart who built a house here in 1770, Morden Park, where he lived until 1788. After this the Morden Park 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 Urban District Council, and the house and 90 acres were preserved as public open space, the house now 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 8 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 40ft 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.

Wikipedia also tells us:

Morden Park is an area within the district of Morden in the London Borough of Merton, and includes the Park itself, an area of green space in an otherwise dense cluster of 1930s suburban housing.

The present park and sports fields between Hillcross Avenue, London Road/Epsom Road and Lower Morden Lane are owned and managed by the London Borough of Merton parks department and cover land that previously formed the grounds of Morden Park House, a small 18th-century country estate (not to be confused with Morden Hall Park, the National Trust property close to Morden town centre).

The estate comprised enclosed parkland, a small Georgian country house built at the top of the hill in the 1770s for merchant and distiller John Ewart with attached landscaped gardens and a farm called Morden Park Farm. By the mid-1780s the estate was in the possession of the Polhill family. One member of the family, Edward Polhill, bequeathed £1,000 in 1826 to the parish church for the benefit of the Sunday school.

Between the 1880s and the 1910s the estate was occupied by banker John Wormald.

At the bottom of the hill in the direction of Lower Morden runs the Beverley Brook a minor tributary of the Thames.

In the park, surrounded by trees, is a large circular mound. This has been identified as a possible burial mound from the Iron Age, Roman or Saxon periods. Archaeological investigations were carried out in the 1950s although no conclusive proof as to its date or purpose were found.English Heritage believes that the earthwork was remodelled at some time into a belvedere, or viewing platform, with a spiral path to ascend it. Between 1960 and the mid-1990s a cycle speedway track sat alongside the mound, which was home to Morden Cycle Speedway Club. The track has since been demolished but it's still possible to find signs of the track's existence. A local Aero Modelling Club used the area South of the Mound on Sunday Mornings for flying practice.

Morden Park House remains and, after many years of neglect and semi-dereliction, has recently been restored and is now the local register office and a venue for wedding ceremonies.

The entrance to the Park, from London Road is now dominated by South Thames College, Merton Campus. This was built on the site of a Pig Farm which was destroyed by fire at some point in the late 40's or early 50's. The derelict sties remained in place for some years until the early 60's when clearing began for the College. During this period many bones could be found amongst the rubble; these have been assumed by archaeologists to be those of pigs. Children from the Council Estate opposite the entrance at Hatfield Mead used this area as an adventure playground for many years. At this period a Gatehouse (occupied until its demolition in the 60's) was prominent at the entry.

Facilities in Morden Park include a pitch and putt golf course and Morden Park Swimming Pool which was opened in the late 1967 on the site of the old house's gardens.

South Thames College is adjacent to the park and occupies the former site of the farm.

Morden Park also hosts the annual Morden Park Holiday Club event for children to attend for a week during their summer holidays from school. This event is organised by the churches in the surrounding area.

Name: Morden Park Street Location: Epsom Road and London Road Local Municipality: Merton Council State/Province, etc.: Greater London Country: United Kingdom Web Site: [Web Link] Date Established: 1945 Recreational Facilities: Cricket pitch Multi-sport and play area Pitch and putt Playground Paddling pool Outdoor gym Special Events: Firework displays Memorial/Commemoration: Not listed Picnic Facilities: Not listed Monuments/Statues: Not listed Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): Not listed Fountains: Not listed Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: Not listed Traditional Geocaches: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   02/04/2014 AngelPick visited it