Morden Hall Park – My London+

I chose the day least likely to rain, which came the day before New Year’s Eve. I set off by bus and tram to visit a popular haunt of mine. Having been here so many times, I didn’t think there was much left here to surprise me. How wrong I was.

The park was busy with families (kids riding new bikes) and dog walkers. The weather was surprisingly warm for December, up to 16 degrees and people were eating outdoors.

There was a ‘Percy the Park Keeper’ trail for the children (I used to read these books to my children) and both cafes were open, as well as the secondhand bookshop and garden centre.

The secondhand bookshop – always worth a browse

After lunch in the National Trust cafe, I walked through the wetlands area along the River Wandle, passed Dean City Farm and finished my walk at Merton Abbey Mill, where William Morris used to have workshops. Later, Liberty’s of London had buildings here, including a print shop.

At weekends there is a market (though I have never been), and the various craft shops are open. There are places to eat here and a pub (The William Morris), and I found the pottery shop, which I have never been in before. Here you can see the mechanics of the waterwheel which still works and was working on the day I was there.

The River Wandle flows alongside Merton Abbey Mills

The working waterwheel inside the pottery shop

It was good to get out for a walk at long last, even for a short one like this.

I hope you all enjoyed some sort of New Year’s celebration, despite Covid. I look forward to sharing many walks and places of interest with you in the coming months.

The remains of the Merton Priory. I’ve read that there are other remains in the Saintsbury’s Car Park, but I’ve never gone looking for them!

A little book buying from the garden shop!

On a gloomy and very cold day last week I met a friend at Morden Hall Park. We scurried into the garden centre shop to have a look around, but also to warm up! We then decided to walk, but it was so muddy and so cold we didn’t get far. Instead we wandered into the second hand book shop for a browse before heading to the National Trust cafe, which has reopened, albeit on a limited scale. We bought soup – I mean what else do you need on a cold day! Although sitting indoors with someone not in your household is not part of the rules right now, we found a table in the corner of the cafe underneath the open windows. So we were away from others and in a well ventilated area. It wasn’t warm enough to discard coats! It just gave us a chance to eat and have a catch-up. It was a very short get-together that day.

Now, as Covid numbers are rising again, there is talk of London going into tier 3 during the week before Christmas. This will mean all cafes and restaurants closing again, except for take-aways. I have to say I am staying away from busy shops. Parts of London are so crowded (Oxford Street) I don’t want to be there. I always try to seek out the quiet places. That’s natural for me anyway, but now even more.

I hope you enjoy these photos, most of which were taken in the garden centre.