Welcome to the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley
Photo-Swan on Lydney Lake
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Introduction to the Forest of Dean
The Forest lies in an isolated situation between the Rivers Severn and Wye, and today extends to around 11,000 hectares. It acquired its status as a royal hunting forest following the Norman conquest in the 11th Century.
Over the centuries, timber production focused on charcoal to fire iron furnaces – especially for production of medieval armour – as well as oak for construction purposes, including the supply of timber for building wooden fighting ships. Excessive felling, coupled with grazing by deer and stock, left the Forest largely bare by the early 17th Century.
The Wild Creatures and Forest Laws Act 1971 which removed the Royal rights in the Forest
A visit by Lord Nelson during the Napoleonic Wars focused attention on the need to replant, leading to the Dean and New Forests Act 1808 (subsequently amended by the Wild Creatures and Forest Laws Act 1971 which removed the Royal rights in the Forest) This legislation, which superseded that of 1668, prescribes for ‘inclosure of land for the growth and produce of timber’, and appointment of Inclosure Commissioners to regulate the amount of land enclosed at any one time. In the following decades steps were taken to re-establish the Forest, predominantly with oak, and protect the plantations from grazing and excessive felling.
During the two world wars heavy felling depleted the growing stock and much replanting was undertaken with conifers. By 1971 the proportion of broadleaves in the forest had fallen to 42%, leading to a Ministerial decision to reverse the trend. Since then, the proportion of broadleaves has increased to about 50%. The Forestry Act 1981, which provided for disposal of Forestry Commission land elsewhere, specifically bars sale of land in the (Statutory) Forest of Dean.
Statutary Rights and Customs
The Forest is subject to ancient rights and customs. Management takes place in consultation with the Verderers, who are responsible for overseeing the "vert and venison" (trees and deer).
Meetings of the Verderers Court have been held in the Speech House since 1218. In practice, the Verderers are consulted about the whole range of management issues affecting the Statutory Forest.
Though not officially regarded as a common, there is a tradition of open grazing dating back at least five hundred years which means that free-roaming sheep grazing is officially suffered as a privilege outside the enclosures. The entire stock was culled during last year’s foot and mouth outbreak, and has only recently been re-established. There is a continuing tradition of estovers (firewood collection), although formal rights to this were removed by the 1668 Act; and the tradition of pannage (pig grazing) also continues. There are important coal, iron and stone mineral deposits beneath the Forest.
The Dean Forest Mines Act 1838 formalises the right of ‘freeminers’ to mine for coal and iron in the Forest as of right. The active small mines in the Forest, and mining rights, are administered by the Deputy Gaveller.
As one of the cradles of the industrial revolution, there are more than 1000 recognised, but largely unscheduled, sites of archaeological importance in the Forest.
Some 35,000 people live adjacent to the Forest - many in small communities settled by encroachment during centuries of mineral exploitation, and associated industrial activity. The Forest provides a wide range of public access and recreation facilities. (Management of the States Forest http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/evaluation/forestry/9.pdf)
The Forest of Dean is one of the few remaining ancient forests in England rising to 900 ft asl to the north. It is situated in the northwest of the county of Gloucestershire, south-central England, occupying an area of 27,000 acres . It is bordered on the southeast by the broad estuary of the River Severn and on the southwest by the River Wye, which (for the most part) forms the border with Wales. The district takes its name from one of the great primeval forests of England that still covers much of the 500- to 971ft (150 - to 296 m) high sandstone ridges and valleys of the south-central part of the district. The woodland area was designated a national forest park in 1938. Its oaks, ashes, birches, and ferns have overlapped a coalfield little worked since the early 1960s and an ancient ironworks much used by the Crusaders. Timber from the forest was utilised in the construction of ships between the 16th and 18th century.
Famous People and origins from the Forest of Dean
The 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 square kilometers 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, 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;
Lady Edna Healey (Nee Edmunds) writer, lecturer and broadcaster and wife of Denis Healey MP, formerly Labour Secretary of State for Defence and Chancellor of the Exchequer was born in Coleford; 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. 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.
Foresters
Foresters were said to originate from a tribe known as the Silures (Iberian Settlers) living in this area during 450-500BC who were also Druids and possibly the first miners of iron and coal in the Forest of Dean.
Industry
The coal forests date back millions of years, but the woodlands date from about 8,000 bc and originally covered 100,000 acres and the main industries throughout the ages being timber and minerals: coal, iron-ore and stone. The main trades were then charcoal burners (for the smelting and forging of iron), tree fellers, smelters and iron forgers.
Settlements
The Romans populated the Dene (43AD-407AD) and built many of the original roads through the forest which meant clearing much of the woodland, and also timber was used for dwellings, building bridges, fencing and the charcoal for smelting. Many of the settlements were carved out of the woods later by the Anglo-Saxons (During 5th - 7th century
Forest Laws
During Norman times (11th century), many of the Forest laws and customs were implemented which governed the villages, farmland and woodland, protecting the fauna, which consisted of deer and wild boar and many of these customs exist today.
Rights, Privilege's and Customs
Pannage of pigs and Commoning of sheep
There are a few "Foresters Rights" and privileges that are still in existence, "sheep-badgers" are allowed to graze their sheep freely within the forest and pig keepers are allowed to graze their animals in the forest during the autumn, to allow them to feed on the acorns . There is also another right called "Estovers", which allows one to collect firewood and timber.
Free Miners
Any male person born and abiding in the Hundred of St.Briavels, aged 21 or over, and having worked for a year and a day in a coal or iron-mine within the hundred of St Briavels may apply for registration as a Free Miner. Every qualified "Free Miner" has the exclusive right to claim from the Crown a 'Gale', or place to mine, for profit iron ore and coal within the Hundred of St.Briavels or stone within the forest perambulation.
Hundreds
During the 11th-13th centuries, areas were split up into "Hundreds", or an area that could supply 100 fighting men when called upon by the King, the largest being the St Briavels Hundred, it's boundaries were approximate to the Forest boundaries. The miners of the Hundred of St Briavels were expert bowman for hunting deer for the King, and good engineers and when they were called upon by King Edward the First (1272-1307) to fight, they gave good service and were loyal. As a reward the King set down in writing the rights and laws of the Free Miners in a document which was called "The Book of Dennis"
Modern Day Forest
The trees which were once predominately oak, are now a balanced mix of broad-leaved and coniferous trees such as Oak, Beech, Sitka Spruce, Larch, Birch, Douglas Fir and Scots Pine. The Larch is the only coniferous tree to loose its needles.
Habitat
The Forest of Dean has a wide range of wildlife which thrives well, mainly because it fits in with the remains of diverse workings such as old industrial workings (Mines, quarries, railways etc) and the way it has been managed over the years.
Water Life
Along the local lakes and ponds there are ducks, geese, dragonflies and damselflies, relaxing to watch on a calm, summer's afternoon/evening.
Buzzards, Ravens, Tawny Owls, Kestrels, Crossbills, Woodpeckers, Treecreepers and Pied Flycatchers are to be seen, particularly at the Nagshead Nature Reserve at Parkend, where you will see an abundance of butterflies, moths, glowworms, fungi, bats, grass snakes, adders, slowworms and lizards. There are over 30 species of butterflies and 400 different species of fungi in the forest.
Night Life
The woodlands are abundant in wildlife, Roe deer and fallow deer are seen at dusk or dawn, or in the autumn during the Rutting season. Rabbits, grey squirrels, hedgehogs and dormice make up some of the other species of wildlife to be seen or heard. Foxes, owls and nightjars can be heard after dark.
UK Safari Website
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NagsHead Nature Reserve
RSPB new visitor centre-Grand opening event on Saturday 29 June 2003
The RSPB Nature Reserve at Nagshead opened its doors to both members and visitors to its new centre today Sat 28 June 2003. It was a glorious summer's day, with temperatures into the 70's and very well supported with members and visitors who all appeared to enjoy themselves. Three guided walks took place and were well supported, with refreshments at the ready.
Sun 29 June 2003 is the Grand opening event for all and includes family activities, pond dipping, regular guided walks and refreshnents.
Nagshead goes green!
In the heart of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, Nagshead RSPB Nature Reserve celebrated the exciting opening of a brand new environmentally friendly Visitor Information & Education Centre and the appointment of a new Community Project Officer.
Thanks to funding of just over 90,000 by the Countryside Agency through DEFRA's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund and additional contributions from the Local Grant Scheme in the Forest of Dean and the RSPB's Gloucestershire Local Group, this partnership project between the Forestry Commission and RSPB has been able to go ahead.
The Centre is built from locally sourced Douglas fir, larch and western red cedar - all grown within 35 miles of the reserve. Inside, lighting is powered by solar panels on the roof of the building funded by Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust.
However, to spot its greenest credentials, look no further than the roof! Special grass matting has been planted on the roof to reduce the ecological footprint of the building. As well as providing a habitat for butterflies, it will also help absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The reserve attracts 18,000 visitors a year, many of whom are schools and children in the popular field-teaching scheme. To enhance educational visits, state-of-the-art interactive interpretation is installed in the new Centre.
Jamie Agombar, who was then the Community Project Officer, said "the new Centre acts as a real focal point for the community. The fact that it is green sets a brilliant example".
NagsHead RSPB Visitor Centre-opening June 2003
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Take a look back through a Forest of Dean Tourist's Guide in 1888
XII.THE FOREST OF DEAN UK.
[An Extract from "The Tourist's Guide to Gloucestershire 1888"(Worth)].
Another route with much to commend it is from Bristol via the Severn Tunnel to Chepstow; thence up the Wye [vide Handbook'] to Lydbrook. And these methods of approach and return may of course be combined or alternated at pleasure. The Forest originally included the whole of the picturesque hill country in the angle between the Severn and the Wye, extending to Gloucester on the W. and Ross and Newent on the N.; and was even thus simply a remnant of a tract of woodland of much wider area. It was shorn materially of these proportions some six centuries since. A Perambulation of 1302 shows that it had then ceased to extend to Gloucester, Chepstow or Newent, and was only in part bounded by the Wye and Severn. The older limits were restored by a court held at Gloucester in 1635; but the process of encroachment has since confined it to the central portion, recognized as part of the Crown lands; and thus the actual Forest is now represented by an irregular patch in the heart of the ancient district, touching the Wye only at one point, the Severn not at all, and comprising about 22,000 acres, nearly three-fourths of which are wood. In the centre of this region is the Speech House, whence the Forest is yet administered; where the Forest courts sit, and the Free Miners hold their meetings. Roughly speaking, these limits comprise also the Forest coal-field.
The Forest has a long history. Whatever may have happened before the Romans came, they occupied Dean in force, and worked its iron mines. Their coins are found associated with the gigantic excavations whence the iron ore has been removed, locally called scowles, and with piles of cinders on the sites of ancient smelting works and forges. Portions of paved roads, some at least formed by them, are still to be seen; and there are remains of villas as well as of the Lydney Temple. [Sect. XI.] From their day to the present mining in Dean has never ceased, and there is good reason to regard the existing Free Miners as largely the descendants of its ancient inhabitants, whom some have connected with the Silures. Practically nothing is known of the Forest during Saxon times, but the remains of carthworks, chiefly on the high ground overlooking the Wye, and culminating in the strong defences of Symonds Yat, show that it was the scene of some hard if unrecorded fighting; and it comprises the southern portion of the great boundary of Offa's Dyke, yet traceable above the Wye. Domesday Book sets us upon fairly firm ground, and shows Dean a royal forest exempt from taxation, its iron mines in active operation, and its glades the happy hunting grounds of monarchs. There William the Conqueror was enjoying the chase in 1069, when he heard of the Danish invasion of Yorkshire.
As his son was marching to Gloucester, Feb. 20, 1643, with a contingent of 500 horse and 1500 foot, he was met at Coleford by a body of Roundheads under Colonel Berrowe, with whom were a number of the miners. However the Cavaliers got the advantage, after a fight in which the old market-house was burnt.
In the following April, Waller, retreating from Monmouth to Gloucester, was pursued by Maurice, but there was only a little skirmishing. It is Sir John Wyntour, of Lydney, whose name is most intimately associated with militant matters in Dean at this period. He strongly fortified his house of White Cross, and made that the centre of operations for all the district, which at one time he cleared of the parliamentary forces, giving Col. Massey, in command at Gloucester, no little trouble. The sharpest fighting was in May, 1644 ; when in one day Massey beat the Cavaliers out of Westbury, where they had garrisoned the ch., and at Littledean; while on the next they were driven out of the garrisoned ch. at Newnham. The affair at Dean was sanguinary. Lt.-Col. Congrave, governor of Newnham, with Capt. Wigmore and a few soldiers, had taken refuge in a house, and accepted quarter, "when one of their company from the house kills a trooper, which so enraged the rest, that they broke in upon them and put them all to the sword; in which accident this passage was not to be forgotten that expressed in one place an extreme contrariety in the spirits of men under the stroke of death; Congrave died with these words, Lord, receive my soule,' and Wigmore cryed nothing but Dam me, more I Dam me, more! desperately requiring the last stroke, as enraged at Divine revenge (Corbet). This is said to have taken place in Dean Hall, in the corner of the dining-room near the fireplace.
After the fall of Lydney, Dean remained in the hands of the Parliament, with whom most of the inhabitants were in sympathy. They continued in the same mind. When Lord Lovelace, on his way to join the Prince of Orange, was taken by the Cirencester folk [Sect. I.] and lodged in Gloucester gaol, he was released by a body of miners headed by Mr. Pyrke of Dean Hall, whose exploits were handed down in a local ballad beginning- "A health to Captain Pyrke, who in Littledean was bred, And of a thousand men he was the head He fought for the true and the Protestant faith, We drink his good health, and so do rejoice.
Like all our ancient mining folk, the miners of Dean have their own manners and customs, rights and privileges; and, more fortunate than most of their fellows, have succeeded in maintaining a fair proportion of the latter intact, though with much difficulty. Thus the "Free Miners of the Forest of Dean are still a recognised community. their ancient court of the "Speech, and the court of the "Verderers of the Forest, dating from time immemorial, are yet held in modern form in the old court room at the Speech house in the heart of the Forest, which was built for the assembly of the Miners' Parliament and Forest Courts in the reign of Charles II., and has of late years been enlarged and made into an excellent hotel. The original courts, so far as there is record, met at the Castle of St. Briavels, where the Constable of the Castle and Warden of the Forest held jurisdiction, down to the death of the last Constable, the Duke of Beaufort, in 1838. Since then the authority has been vested in the Department of Woods and Forests. The ancient regulations are set forth in an old code called the Book of Dennis' [See Nicholls's Forest of Dean] and are very quaint. Witnesses were sworn on a holly stick.
The iron mines are the oldest form of mineral industry in Dean; next come the collieries (and coal was raised here in the 13th cent., though not applied to iron smelting until much later); and lastly the stone quarries, from which large quantities of excellent Coal Measure sandstone are hewn and exported.
What with the consumption of timber in the mines and the ironworks, encroachments, waste, neglect, and "appropriation "-to use a very mild phrase-the Forest, towards the end of the last century, had got into a very bad way; and the quantity of timber fit for ship-building was reduced to the barest minimum. Since then, careful planting and good management have greatly improved matters; and though they were only written thirty years since, the remarks of Mr. Nicholls are calculated to convey a false impression: "Most strangers visiting this Forest do so in the expectation of seeing groves of stately timber covering the ground in every direction, and are much disappointed, when they find the greater part to consist of oaks, barely fifty years old, comprised in enclosures.
It is perfectly true that the number of very old trees is small; but there are spots where the trees generally are large and the sylvan character unbroken-where every hill and slope in sight is clothed with dense woodland, and where many noble groups may be found by the wanderer. Such are the woods round the Speech House, which abound in fine hollies; and the High Beeches near Coleford Meend. The largest and oldest oak in Dean is the Newland, over forty feet in girth five feet from the ground, and one of the largest in the Kingdom. Then in the Forest proper there is Jack of the Yat, on Long Hill, near the Coleford and Mitcheldean Road; a few minutes' walk from which is the Crad Oak, a third notable denizen. The Forest coal beds form a basin, of which the centre is near the Speech House, in the main a very irregular ellipse, about 11 m. on its longest axis N. to S. and 7 on its shortest E. to W. Altogether there 35 coal seams, mostly thin. The upper series are of least importance. The middle range up to a total thickness of nearly 12 ft., the principal being the Parkend High Delf', Smith Delf', Churchway, and Starkey. The lower series are still more important, and include in the Coleford High Delf the thickest seam of the whole, averaging nearly 5 ft. The lowest, the High Delf is 2 ft. On the skirts of the coal field are the iron mines, in the mountain limestone.
The map of the Forest is calculated to raise undue expectations touching railway facilities within its bounds. Most of the tracks laid down are simply mineral lines or tramways; and the one Forest railway is that of the Severn and Wye Company from Lydney Junction to Lydbrook ditto, connecting the two river valleys, and sending off passenger branches to Cinderford on the E. and Coleford on the W. There is a branch G. W. line also between Coleford and Monmouth.
Thus almost every point of special interest in the Forest proper is within a couple of m. or more of some station. St. Briavels is the only important exception, about 4 m. from Whitecroft, but only 2 1/2m from Bigsweir on the Wye Valley. The tourist who has plenty of time should use the roads as much as possible; but where time is an object the rail is very convenient, and even the run from river to river will give a fair idea of the Forest scenery.
Black, red and green are the colours of Dean and very soon after leaving the station at Lydney town is the truth of this appreciated. The line winds on through rugged wooded valleys, with now and again an amphitheatre opening or a peep into a sylvan glade, so that there is plenty of green for the ground of the picture. Then come the ironworks with their ruddy tints (mostly idle now); and then again the collieries with smoky chimneys and black pit heaps, seeming much out of harmony with their surroundings, until they occur so frequently that they fall into place as a part of the natural order of things and cease to excite surprise. The first station is Whitecroft (Inn Miners Arms) 14 m. from Bream; about a couple from one of the scowles, and the nearest Forest station to St. Briavels.
PARKEND is the next station (Inn: Fountain); thence the branch to Coleford runs 3 1/2m. to the left, with the little station of MILKWALL midway, winding steadily up among the hills and emerging from the woods into a wide open tract, with plenty of small enclosures and patches of waste-a breezy varied upland with charming prospects. (For Coleford, see post.) From Parkend the main line runs into the heart of the Forest, through thick woods clothing the hills on either hand from top to bottom with a luxuriance of foliage rarely matched. SPEECH HOUSE station, the next halting place, is at the spot where one of the chief roads of the Forest runs from Coleford down "Howlers Slade (this old Saxon word is in common use in Dean), across the railway and by the Speech House (post) towards Littledean. The railway continues on through the well-wooded valley, now rather a ravine, so high rise the hills, so close set their feet, more thickly tree-clad than ever; and ere long we come to the parting of the ways, the line on the r. leading to Cinderford, and that on the I. continuing to Lydbrook and the Junction.
Ruardean itself rewards the ecclesiologist by the curious example of Norm, sculpture in the tympanum of the S. doorway of the ch. "St. George appears on horseback clad in a tunic closely girt about his waist, and a flowing pallium or mantle; he wears a pointed helm, but without a nasal; his toes are turned downwards, and the pryck spur is affixed to the right heel; in his right hand he grasps a lance, with which the dragon, in the shape of a wingless serpent, is in the act of' being transfixed; the composition exhibits a better mode of grouping than ordinary (Bloxam).
The attractions of the Forest are so many and so great that the only way of getting them within reasonable compass is to group them round appropriate centres. Lydney has already been dealt with. First in importance as regards the Forest proper comes the Speech House.
No spot affords such facilities for an acquaintance with the most romantic parts, nor are there pleasanter quarters for a stay. hence every part of Dean may be conveniently reached, while within a radius of 2 m. we have the most striking features of the woodlands. The Speech House station is at Cannop Bridge, and thence to the Speech House itself is just over two-thirds of a m. by the road, by the short cut through the woods something less; but this short cut might prove a long one to the stranger. On the road there are considerable vestiges of the ancient paving ascribed to the Romans, and certainly of great antiquity. The Speech House stands well, on a verdant plateau with a fine view from what may be termed the terrace in front-dipping thence to the valley, and taking in fold after fold of the hills, a veritable sea of foliage, rising into picturesquely-broken crests.
The woods immediately around the house are open; but there is access to the drives through the enclosures, and practically the whole of the Forest is available for the visitor, while every turn has its own varied charms. The chief characteristic of the Speech House Wood is the abundance of fine hollies, whence its usual name of the Holly Wood. The elder are about a couple of hundred years old, and some are among the giants of their kind, 8 and 9 ft. in girth and more. There are hundreds, we may fairly say thousands, between 3 and 4 ft. One of the most striking characteristics of these central woods is supplied by the grouping of various kinds of trees. There are the, Spruce Avenue, 2 m. long. The most pleasant road to Danby Beeches; the Beech and the Chestnut Avenues; and little more than 2 m. to the N.E. the High Beeches, the stateliest clump in the Forest, upreaching from one of its highest points. Of course they have rivals, and chiefly their brethren at Danby, but these have the finest site, and are worthy of it. If there is disappointment in the Forest, the oaks must bear the blame. The finer ones are scattered, and the slow- growing oaken woods are as yet too young to make the conspicuous figure to be expected by-and-bye, when the present generation of tourists has long passed away. For the biggest oak in Dean, the "Newland, see post. "Jack of the Yat is but 2 m. from the Speech House almost due N., and within 10 minutes' easy walk thence is the "Crad Oak, the best formed and most commanding.
2 m. N.W. of Coleford is Staunton, with an interesting ch. originally Norm., and containing a font regarded by some authorities as Saxon and by others as made out of a Roman altar. W. of Staunton is the Buckstone, a huge block of Old Red Conglomerate, perched on the highest point in the Dean peninsula (891 ft., 34 ft. above Ruardean), curious in itself; but still worthier of note from the magnificent view the hill commands. That the stone should rock no doubt was a matter of great marvel once. There is, however, an artificial megalith, a maenhii- or "Long Stone on the r. of the road between Coleford and Staunton, nearly midway. Staunton, the Buckstone, and Newland may most enjoyably be taken in a round from Coleford of some 7 or 8 m.
St. Briavels is readiest reached from Whitecroft station, taking Bream on the way, a little over the 4 m., but the prettiest route is from Coleford by Clearwell, with which, taking a somewhat wider sweep, Newland can be combined. Then if the return is made by Bream to Lydney, a better idea of this quarter of the Forest will be gained than in any other way in the same time and distance. Clearwell is a charming village adjoining the beautiful domain of Clear- well Park, once in the Wyndhams, now in the Earls of Dunraven, their representatives on the female side. Here we get into one of the iron districts; and half a m. S. of Clearwell are Clearwell "scowles, all things considered the most weird and romantic of the "devil's chapels. Another 1/2m. on, I. of the road leading to Bigswear, which branches I. for St. Briavels, is an old earthwork called Stow, assigned to the Romans.
St. Briavels is simply a village "set on a hill, which commands far-reaching views, and owes its importance to the fact that it is the head of the hundred of St. Briavels, which comprises the Forest; in ancient times the actual, as it is still the nominal, seat of its government. The castle is very old, originally built temp. Henry I. by Milo Fitzwalter, Earl of Hereford, as a border fortress against the Welsh; but regarded by Mr. Parker as to a great extent a house of the 13th century, and its chimney "one of the most beautiful in England. It is not a large building, is more than a little ruinous, and as courts are no longer held here (save the Court Leet), and it has ceased to be a prison, the authorities seem to have no interest in keeping it in even decent repair. The most notable interior feature is the old wheel of the turnspit.
The ch. was originally Norm., and retains one of its Norm, arcades, the other being E. Eng.; but it has been as much over restored as the castle under. The views are after all among the chief inducements for a visit to St. Briavels, unless one is of a very archaeological turn; and the walk round by Bream on the return has ups and downs enough to relieve it from all suspicions of monotony. The Bream - devil's chapel [ante] lies r. of the road to Lydney, about 3/4 m. on the way.
All these it will be understood are hints for the casual visitor, and at least a week will be occupied in carrying them out (so much is planned with much excellent illustrative detail in Bellows's "Forest of Dean. ) Those who cannot spare more than a day should take the run by rail from Lydney to Lydbrook, stopping at the Speech house, and visit Coleford and Newland, which will give them a fair idea of the general characteristics of the Forest, though necessarily passing over several of its more noticeable features. A good plan is to reach Coleford by rail, walk to Newland, go back to Coleford (rail or road), and walk by Howlers Shade to the Speech House. Thence the train may be taken to Lydbrook or Lydney. If two days can be spared Coleford may be made the centre for one, and the Speech House for the other. A third day would bring in the Micheldean district. In any case good walkers have great advantages over those who are dependent on the by-no-means-too- frequent trains.
1888 Those who can afford the time for a still more lengthened visit, if they have any taste at all for landscape beauty, or geology, or botany, or entomology, or, indeed, for natural history in general-beyond the less extensive but highly interesting antiquities-might spend months in the Forest and be very far from exhausting its attractions. Indeed, so far as natural history is concerned, it is even yet largely unworked ground in the matter of departmental detail, with ample rewards in store for the enthusiastic and patient investigator.
End of extract from "Tourist's Guide to Gloucestershire" (Worth) 1888
Book kindly loaned to me by Geoff Aldridge
FOREST OF DEAN-USA
This Forest of Dean is located partly in the grounds of the West Point Military Academy in Orange County, some 45 miles from New York and like the UK Forest of Dean, it is also the site of an iron mine. Situated alongside the Hudson River lies Bear Mountain to the South of the Furnace and Iron Mines and to the north, an Indian Plantation and Reservation, founded by Charles Clinton, in 1732.
This information is taken from the Forest and Wye Valley Review(link on Home Page)19 April 2002
Information kindly forwarded by Bob D'Amico in the USA
Forest of Dean is (was) just outside of Highland Falls, New York. Much of the area is a reserve for the United States Military Academy (West Point), the American version of Sandhurst. This area of New York was a "major" iron ore mining center during the colonial years and "West Point", on the Hudson River was the most militarily significant and strategic spot during the American Revolution. A huge iron chain was made locally and strung across the Hudson to prevent British naval ships from cutting off the connection between the colonies in New England and the Middle Atlantic. As the Commander of West Point, American General Benedict Arnold became infamous when he plotted treason to turn over West Point to the British. He got away but British Major John Andre, aide de camp of British General Sir Henry Clinton was captured and later hung for espionage, since he was in civilian clothes. The Henry Clinton Collection
Forest of Dean mine Published: December 19, 1891.
Keep the Forest of Dean Roads Safe
A link to a website dedicated to reducing the number of accidents and eliminating the increasing number of road deaths in the Forest of Dean. Please Take a Look
Links to other Local WebSites
