ABOUT US

Mole Valley District Council manages the fascinating Deepdene Trail. The Trail was created as part of an exciting landscape and heritage project to relink and repair the landscape around the magnificent estate in Dorking, Surrey and engage the community with its local heritage.

Back in 2015, a £1million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund was secured for the project to revive the landscape and key architectural features on the estate once owned by Thomas Hope, who lived in Deepdene House during the early 19th century.

On Saturday 10 September 2016, over 500 intrepid visitors braved the rain to walk the Deepdene Trail for the very first time. You can read more in the Deepdene Trail blog.

Betchworth Castle

We are supported by a range of local volunteers, in particular the Friends of Deepdene who work every week to improve the Trail. We are also working with The Mausolea & Monuments Trust, Dorking Museum, Kuoni, Stonegate Homes, the Dorking Golf Club, Surrey Wildlife Trust, the Friends of Deepdene and Martin Higgins, owner of Betchworth Castle alongside many other national and local partners.

The project ended in March 2018 and during that time engaged the local community through a number of events, activities, training opportunities, mini-projects (e.g. Oral History) and education activities as well as the development of the Virtual Tour and App for exploring the site.

The Trail will remain a free public resource managed by Mole Valley District Council and supported by volunteers for all to enjoy.