Route overview

This map shows the points on the Surrey Diggers Trail, which spans across Cobham, Weybridge and Walton-on-Thames. Scroll through the points to see the full trail route.

The Diggers were a radical group that emerged across Elmbridge in the mid-1600s. Led by Gerrard Winstanley, they believed that all men were equal and that freedom from poverty and oppression could be won if the Earth were made a ‘common treasury for all’. After setting up communes and digging the common land to grow food, strong opposition meant they were violently driven away. Yet their ideas and writings are still remembered across the world today.

Each of the following pinpointed locations played a key part in the Digger Movement as it unfolded across what is now the borough of Elmbridge. Track the story of the Diggers from their humble beginnings in Cobham to their eventual end by following the route. You can find trail boards at each location telling the story piece-by-piece.

Further down the page, you can find explanatory videos, maps, articles and extra resources for each stop along the way.

Stop 1

The trail begins in Cobham High Street, in the pedestrianized walkway separating Hollyhedge Road from the main High Street.

It is here that we introduce Gerrard Winstanley, the Digger leader. This stop examines Gerrard’s arrival in the village in 1643, as the English Civil War raged and his radical ideas developed.

The Diggers Trail board on Cobham High Street, backing onto the Digger mosaic on the wall of number 2A.

Stop 2

Moving west along the A245 and then north up Seven Hills Road brings us onto the second stop on the trail at Queens Place, a footpath just off Queen’s Road.

It was just over a mile away from this site, on St. George’s Hill, that the Diggers first took radical action here in 1649 by digging the land and starting their own commune.

Stop 3

Travelling north from the previous stop firstly along Queens Road, then Ashley Road, Walton High Street, and then turning right to proceed down Churchfield Road, brings you to Church Walk. Situated within St. Mary’s Churchyard, this is where stop 3 of our trail can be found.

It was at this very site, in 1649, that the Diggers were imprisoned by angry locals. In this stop we examine the local reaction to the Diggers, and how their occupation of St. George’s Hill  ended.

The Diggers Trail board at St. Mary’s Church, facing out from the churchyard onto Church Road.

Stop 4

From St Mary’s Church, travelling along the A244 towards Esher, then south down Portsmouth Road and turning left to progress down Fairmile Lane, and right again down Water Lane, will bring you to our fourth and final stop at Littleheath Lane.

The Diggers’ story in Surrey did not end with their eviction from St. George’s Hill, and they quickly moved on to this site, in Cobham. Here, we examine how their ideas and new commune grew, and investigate how and why the Digger Movement finally ended for good.

The Diggers Trail Stop 4 board, at Littleheath Lane. It can be found in the stretch between Links Green Way and Knipp Hill, backing onto Fairmile Park.

Local Landmark Point

This local landmark can be visited at any point in your journey along the trail. Here, on Brooklands Road backing onto Cobbetts Hill, you will find the Digger Memorial stone commemorating the Diggers’ actions in Surrey and their legacy.

At this stop, you can find information on what happened to Gerrard Winstanley after the Digger Movement, and how the group have become recognised both nationally and internationally in the years since their radical actions.

Local Landmark: information on the Diggers Memorial Stone at Cobbetts Hill, facing onto Brooklands Road.

The Diggers Memorial Stone at this site.