Waterwheel Snuff Mill - Morden Hall, London.  by DonDavisUK
DonDavisUK

Waterwheel Snuff Mill - Morden Hall, London. by

Waterwheel Snuff Mill
Morden Hall Park, London, UK.
Camera Nikon D700 with 28-300mm Nikon Lense.
ISO 100, f/16.0, 1/8th sec exposure, 58mm, tripod.

Today I took my wife out in a wheelchair to a park not far away from us here in London. Morden Hall is a great place to explore and a joy to take your camera along too, but not so good when your companion is wheelchair bound. She is such a good wife and wanted to come along and see me at work with my camra and tripod.
This is an ancient old Snuff Mill, snuff is powdered tobacco and was used years ago, can’t imagine why though all it did was make you sneeze:-) LOL.

History (from Wikipedia)
The estate land was originally owned by Westminster Abbey. There is evidence of an earlier manor-house, but the Hall dates back to the 1770s and contains a variety of natural landscapes including the parkland of the “Deer Park”, meadow and marshland. A number of historic buildings are located in the park including the Hall itself and preserved watermills where tobacco was once ground into snuff.

The Hall was owned and occupied by the Garth family for generations. It was occupied as a school for young gentlemen about 1840 until it was sold by Sir Richard Garth to a tobacco merchant Gilliat Hatfeild (1827–1906) in the 1870s.

The Hall was a military hospital during the First World War.

Gilliat Hatfeild’s son, Gilliat Edward Hatfeild (1864–9 February 1941), left the core of the estate (including the house) to the National Trust when he died. The Hall is now empty after Whitbread PLC. decided that the building/location did not fit in with the business plan they had for their Beefeater chain. They still own the lease and continue to pay rent according to the original lease contract. At least two attempts to sub-lease the property have failed after limited success.

Morden Hall Park House
Gilliat Edward Hatfeild lived at the nearby Morden Cottage which he considered better suited to his life as a bachelor. The formal garden of the cottage is surrounded by an unusual collection of ornamental trees, including one of the oldest yews in England.

Outside of the main park, the remainder of the estate has been swallowed up in housing developments stretching between Morden, South Wimbledon and Collier’s Wood and an industrial estate at Deer Park Road.

Morden Hall Park is a National Trust park located on the banks of the River Wandle in Morden, south London. It covers over 50ha (125 acres) of parkland with the River Wandle meandering through it spanned by numerous foot bridges. The estate contains Morden Hall itself, Morden Cottage, an old Snuff Mill, and many old farm buildings, some of which are now a garden centre and a city farm. The rose garden has over 2000 roses.

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About DonDavisUK

Don is a photographer with many years experience in both film and digital. His passions are; Portraiture, Landscape, Urban and Street.

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Tags

morden hall, park, london, uk, snuff mill, waterwheel, water, river, wandle, city, parks, wheels, watermill, rivers, landscape, woodland, woods

Comments

  • Catherine Hamilton-Veal  ©
    Catherine Hami...8 months ago

    Beautiful work dear Don.x

  • Hey there Catherine, many thanks my friend. Amazing places like this in the heart of London.

    – DonDavisUK

  • sarnia2
    sarnia28 months ago

    What a tranquil scene Don. I love the sound of running water; it’s so calming, and I can almost here these waters!

  • Hi Sarnia, me too my friend and I miss all the big rivers and streams of Dartmoor in Devon, but we’ve found a haven here in London at last:-)

    – DonDavisUK

  • Tom Gomez
    Tom Gomez8 months ago

    Beautiful place Don. Snuff did much more than make you sneeze, it caused terrible cancers in the nasal and thought passages as well …

  • Hi Tom, thanks mate. No wonder it’s gone out of fashion then:-) I don’t know when they stopped making snuff?

    – DonDavisUK

  • Audrey Clarke
    Audrey Clarke8 months ago

  • Hey there Audrey, many thanks for that my friend. Don.

    – DonDavisUK

  • CraigsMom
    CraigsMom8 months ago

    Congratulations

  • WOW! Thanks so much for that Mary-Anne. It’s great to be featured in this amazing Group. I love exploring all the Historic Places.

    – DonDavisUK

  • Tim Denny
    Tim Denny8 months ago

    Very nicely done Don

  • Hey there Tim, many thanks my friend. Don.

    – DonDavisUK

  • gail woodbury
    gail woodbury8 months ago

    A really beautiful scene Done – Love it !

  • Hi Gail, thanks very much for that. Don.

    – DonDavisUK

  • Guendalyn
    Guendalyn8 months ago

    LOVELY!!!

  • Hi Guendalyn, thank you my friend. Don.

    – DonDavisUK

  • Martina Fagan
    Martina Fagan8 months ago

    wonderful image & brill work~ Tina

  • Thanks very much Tina, Always appreciated. Don.

    – DonDavisUK

  • Photography by  Mathilde
    Photography by...8 months ago

    Beautiful capture, Don , and I am so pleased that your wife was able to join you – this looks so tranquil, peaceful and an oasis close to a thriving city – regards, Mattie

  • Hi Mattie, thanks so much my friend. She loves this place as much as I do, she’s the one with the History Degree so I was getting a running commentary as I was snappin away:-) LOL

    – DonDavisUK