Little Heath, Surrey Explained

Static Image Name:Little heath pond surrey.jpg
Static Image Caption:A view over the lake at Little Heath. Formerly the site of a clay pit and brickworks.
Country:England
Official Name:Little Heath
Map Type:Surrey
Coordinates:51.328°N -0.374°W
Civil Parish:n/a
Shire District:Elmbridge
Shire County:Surrey
Region:South East England
Constituency Westminster:Esher and Walton
Post Town:Cobham
Postcode District:KT11
Postcode Area:KT
Dial Code:01932
Os Grid Reference:TQ1327
London Distance Mi:17

Little Heath, sometimes spelt as "Littleheath", is an area of Cobham in the borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England. It boarders the nearby villages of Oxshott and Stoke d'Abernon.

History

The area is best known as the site of a Diggers settlement in 1649 when a group expelled from St George's Hill, Weybridge, successfully established a short lived community. The Diggers cultivated 11 acres, constructed six houses, and began publishing pamphlets. Despite initial sympathy from the local lord, Parson John Platt, the community faced opposition as Platt, along with local landowners, mobilized gangs to thwart support and, ultimately, drove them out in April 1650.[1] [2]

During the 19th century a brickworks and clay pit occupied much of the Little Heath area. During the First World War the area was used as an ammunition dump with the brickworks resuming after the war. The site was occupied by the Canadian army during the Second World War. Following the war the brickworks reopened and continued until its final closure and the demolition of its buildings in 1958 after which the land was rehabilitated and the old claypit turned into a lake.[3] Housing was developed around on the northern end of the lake whilst the southern end was made into a public park accessible from paths at Heathield Road and Blundel Lane.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Little Heath – Surrey Diggers Trail . www.diggerstrail.org.uk . 15 January 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200813135311/https://www.diggerstrail.org.uk/little-heath/ . 13 August 2020.
  2. Book: Gurney, John . 10.7228/manchester/9780719061028.003.0006 . 'The Diggers and the local community', Brave Community: The Digger Movement in the English Revolution . July 2012 . Manchester Scholarship Online . 2012 . Manchester.
  3. Web site: Fedora - Clay Pit . 2023-12-29 . www.fedora.org.uk.