Forest of Dean
The (Royal)
Forest of Dean is a region in the
county of
Gloucestershire,
England. It is a roughly
triangular area bounded by the
River Wye to the west and north, the
River Severn to the south, and the
City of Gloucester to the east. It is characterised by over 110 km² of mixed forest, one of the most ancient surviving
forests in England. It gives its name to the
local government district Forest of Dean (district).
The main town and administrative centre for the forest is
Coleford; whilst
Cinderford is another busy centre. The relative isolation of the region lends it a unique character with a very broad and colourful local
accent spoken by the locals.
The forest is steeped in history, and the area was settled by the
Romans who used the natural resources of the area, including
iron ore and
charcoal. Later, the forest was used exclusively as Royal
hunting grounds by the
Tudor Kings (
see royal forest), but its rich deposits of
iron ore led to it becoming a major source of
iron at this time.
Timber from the forest was particularly fine and used to build Tudor
ships, including the
Mary Rose. Later still, the discovery of
coal deposits led to a strong development of
mining in the area, with commercial mining continuing into the
1980s. There were, and are still, a number of small private mines in operation. With the decline of the mines, the area suffered a decline, but this was ameliorated to some extent when a number of
high technology industries established themselves in the area, attracted by
grants and a willing workforce. The area also relies heavily on
tourism and
agriculture.
The writer
Dennis Potter was born near
Coleford, and frequently used the region as a setting in his work, for example in
The Singing Detective and
Karaoke/Cold Lazarus; the local accent and dialect can be heard at some length in the
BBC productions of these shows. The
BBC Radio 1 and
Radio 2 DJ Jimmy Young is one of
Cinderford's most famous sons. Early
Britpop band
EMF also hailed from the Cinderford area. The Religious Studies teacher Steven Carter is also a native of the Forest of Dean, he described the town as backward and primitive.
If born within the
Hundred of St Briavels an ancient administrative area covering most of what is now considered the Forest of Dean, you are classed as a true Forester. This classification bestows a number of rights, such as the right to be a
freeminer and to graze
sheep in the Forest.
*
Berry Hill*
Blaisdon*
Bream*
Cinderford*
Clearwell*
Coleford*
Drybrook*
English Bicknor*
Huntley*
Longhope*
Lydney*
Milkwall*
Mitcheldean*
Newent*
Newland*
Parkend*
Soudley*
St Briavels*
Yorkley*
Clearwell Caves*
Dean Forest Railway*
Dean Heritage Centre*
Hopewell Colliery *
RSPB Nagshead Nature Reserve*
Parkend and Lydney Railway*
Puzzlewood*The
Sculpture Trail*Speech House
*
Symond's Yat*
Forest of Dean History*
Forest of Dean Family History*
Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail*
Dean Forest Railway Preserved Steam Railway*
Historic Photos
