Many a Londoner has ended up in Morden after falling asleep on a southbound Northern Line train.
Usually, the hapless sleepyhead will gather their thoughts and jump on the next northbound train or, if the tube has stopped running for the night, investigate catching a taxi home. For people in that predicament, Yellow Minicabs, located directly across the road from the tube station, is generally a cheaper option than jumping into a black cab on the rank.
But the end of the line isn’t the end of the known universe – or even the end of your entertainment options. You might be confusing Morden with Mordor. You could even take the wild step of visiting Morden on purpose to see what lies beyond the five platforms. Before you even leave the station, there’s a garden on Platform 1 to check out from above on the walkways.
What’s in Morden?
Outside – and there’s no point sugarcoating this – you’re not going to be greeted by London’s prettiest high street. The London Road landscape is dominated by Merton Civic Centre, the huge council building. An Iceland now stands on what was once a fabulous art deco cinema. But if you look around, you’ll soon discover plenty of good reasons to get off the train, rather than scuttling back for the next train towards Edgware or High Barnet.
Eating and drinking in Morden
For a small high street, Morden packs a flavoursome punch. By day, you’ve got plenty of coffee options. Right next to the station is the cheap and cheerful Rosy Lea, where you’ll get a generous cup of coffee from £2.70 or a bargain-priced breakfast. Be sure to try the Bulgarian banitsa. It’s a ridiculous slab of pastry oozing with white cheese and it will fill you up for ages.
For a slightly pricier but heart-starting cuppa, funky Metronome coffee and wine bar is just around the corner to the right. By day, Metronome keeps a steady flow of commuters and colleagues caffeinated and by night, they hold events where the wine tends to flow freely. Out the back, you’ll find Crown Lane Studio, a busy recording studio for everything from rehearsals to podcasts.
Across the road from Sainsbury’s, The Corner Cafe is a cute, cosy space with excellent muffins and scones. If you stay on the same side of the road and walk back towards the imposing council building, Sofra Grill is on the next corner. As well as coffee that will make you see into next week, this place has been renovated and it serves great breakfast, brunch, a mouthwatering Turkish menu and a decent range of beer, wine and spirits. A few doors down, you’ll find Parana Sabores, for all your meaty Brazilian needs, along with some excellent seafood.
Opposite Metronome in the imposing shadow of the council building is Blue Junction, a chilled-out Indian bar and restaurant. Turn right out of Blue Junction and just past – yep, you guessed it, the bloody enormous council building – is The Vault, which does coffee, cakes and lunch by day and by night, it’s the chameleon of Morden’s nightlife. It might be a club one night and there could be an open mic for aspiring stand-up comedians the next.
Cross the road at The Vault and you’ll spot Bella Donna, a family-run Italian restaurant – and a bit further up on the same side of the road, you’ll come to the colourfully tiled Verona, another excellent choice for a satisfying Italian meal in an authentic atmosphere.
In the other direction, just past the tube station, Kokoro offers Nobu-levels of Japanese yumminess without the Nobu prices. And if you’re feeling nostalgic, there’s a Wimpy with comfy red booths, all your comfort food favourites on the menu and friendly staff. Fish and chip fans will be pleased to know there’s a Morden Superfish outpost, open from Wednesday to Saturday.
What about the best pubs in Morden?
The high street is home to two pubs. Ganley’s is the big, green Irish pub across the road from the tube station. As well as a good selection of drinks that are a bit cheaper than central London prices, it’s a good place to watch football and rugby, catch a live band, test your brain at the pub quiz, or enjoy a hearty meal. There’s a small beer garden of sorts out the back and there are footpath tables for enjoying a drink on a sunny day.
Similarly, The Royal Surrey, which underwent a bit of a spruce-up before the pandemic, offers footpath seating outside and a down-to-earth local pub vibe inside. Like a proper, old school pub, the Royal Surrey doesn’t take reservations, so there’s no risk of having to give up your table because Sandy’s 40th birthday party is arriving at 8pm. But if a birthday party does rock up and take their chances at a table, they might be able to enjoy a DJ, live music or watch the match.
And if you fancy some late night stodge to soak up the pints, the excellently-named Kebaby is within stumbling distance of both pubs.
Bargain shopping in Morden
There’s Panache, a well-priced women’s fashion shop right near the entrance to the tube, although its opening hours vary wildly and sometimes it’s closed for weeks at a time. But Morden is a great place to go for a mini charity shop crawl.
Starting on the same side of the street as the tube station, turn left, keep walking past the Sainsbury’s and you’ll come to the Cats Protection shop. It’s a well-organised shop – clothes tend to be sorted by colour – with a focus on women’s wear and accessories.
Cross the road for an absolute treasure trove of bargains. The St Raphael’s Hospice Clearance Store offers some really good quality stuff, especially if you like a bit of sparkle or you’re in need of a good men’s shirt, with prices generally topping out at just £5.00. With loads on offer around the £2.50–£3.00 mark, a tenner goes a long way in there.
And a few doors up, there’s a Scope charity shop, which has a nice mix of clothes, cards, accessories and hidden gem homewares. It’s definitely worth popping in for a rummage.
Things to see and do in Morden
The other good reason to visit Morden is for its two absolutely enormous parks. Merton has one of the highest proportions of green space of all 32 London boroughs and Morden’s parks certainly help with this.
The two big parks aren’t exactly imaginatively named – Morden Hall Park and Morden Park – but they’re both worth a visit, especially if you have a dog or you enjoy spotting the many green parrots who started breeding when a couple of local pets escaped.
Morden Hall Park is at the bottom of the high street near the roundabout. It’s a National Trust site. As well as plenty of green space, there’s a cafe, second hand bookshop, garden centre and gift shop. From this park, you can take a walk towards South Wimbledon for Deen City Farm, where city kids – and curious adults – can get a sample of life on the farm. Entry is free, but a £3.00 donation per person is appreciated.
In the other direction, up the hill, is Morden Park. It’s not nearly as developed as Morden Hall Park, but there are plenty of wide open spaces, mini woods and a leisure centre that offers cheap membership and a cafe and outdoor gym that anyone can visit. During summer, Morden Park comes alive with plenty of events, including music festivals, a food festival and a family fun day.
From the park, not only can you see the Shard on a clear day, but on any day, you can see the stunning Baitul Futuh mosque. It’s the biggest mosque in Western Europe and home to the UK’s Ahmadiyya sect. The sect, with a motto of “Love for all, hatred for none”, was founded in what is now Pakistan in the late 19th century and many followers came to the UK as refugees when they suffered religious persecution. The mosque is open to visitors for tours, it regularly hosts events and gets involved in community activities, such as council clean-ups and providing a venue for local schools to hold exams.
Hotels in Morden
If you need a bed for the night in Morden, the wordily named London Wimbledon Morden Travelodge is your only option for now. There are plans to build a new hotel just around the corner from the tube, but not much progress has been made there.
So, if you’ve missed the last northbound train, a taxi fare is too much and you just want to put your head down and deal with getting home in the morning – or you are genuinely Morden-curious and want to make an occasion of it – it’s a 20-minute walk or a swift bus ride on the 80 to Belmont or the 93 to North Cheam. As a bonus, you can treat yourself to a bargain breakfast from 9am at the George Inn Harvester next door. You might need it if you’ve lingered too long at Ganley’s or the Royal Surrey.
