Places and People Forest of Dean
- About the Forest of Dean
- Abenhall, Gloucestershire
- Anchor Inn, Lydbrook
- Ariconium, Herefordshire
- Arthur and Edward Colliery
- Bigsweir, Gloucestershire
- Bishopswood, Herefordshireshire
- Bixslade (Bicslade)
- Blakeney, Gloucestershire
- Bloomery (definition)
- Bradley House
- Bream, Gloucestershire
- Bullo Pill, Gloucestershire
- Cannop Colliery
- Cinderford, Gloucestershire
- Clearwell, Gloucestershire
- Coleford, Gloucestershire
- Collieries
- Crawshay, Henry
- Danby Lodge
- Darkhill Brick, Colliery + Ironworks
- Dates in the Forest of Dean
- Dean Forest (Mines) Act 1838
- Dean Forest Railway
- Dean Forest (Reafforestation)
Act 1668 - The Dean Forest Riots
- Dean Hall, Littledean
- Dean Heritage Centre
- Dean Road
- Drybrook, Gloucestershire
- Eastern United Colliery
- Fairplay Iron Mine
- Findall Iron Mine
- Flaxley, Gloucestershire
- Forest of Dean Central Railway
- Free Miners
- Green Bottom
- Gunns Mill
- The Haie (house + tunnel)
- Harvey, F. W.
- Hopewell Engine Colliery
- Horlick, James and William
- Kings Lodge
- Lightmoor Colliery
- Littledean, Gloucestershire
- Lower Redbrook, Gloucestershire
- Lydbrook, Gloucestershire
- Lydney, Gloucestershire
- Mining and Forest Terms
- Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire
- Mushet, David and Robert
- Nelson Colliery
- Newland, Gloucestershire
- Newnham, Gloucestershire
- Northern United Colliery
- Offas Dyke
- Parkend, Gloucestershire
- Pillowell, Gloucestershire
- Protheroe, Edward
- Pubs of the Forest of Dean
- Purton, Gloucestershire
- Redbrook, Gloucestershire
- Ruardean, Gloucestershire
- Severn and Wye Railway Co.
- Severn Bridge Railway
- Shakemantle Iron Mine
- Speech House
- Speech House Hill Colliery
- St Briavels Castle
- St Briavels, May-pole
- Strip-and at-it Colliery
- Symonds Yat
- Teague, James
- Teague, Moses
- Trafalgar Colliery
- Tramroad
- True Blue Colliery
- Union Colliery
- Upper and Middle Forge
- Upper Lydbrook Station
- Upper Mill, Edge Hills
- Upper Redbrook
- Verderer (definition)
- Verderers' Court
- Welshbury Hill Fort
- Westbury Brook Iron Mine
- Whitecliff Furnace
- Whitecliff House
- Whitecliff Quarry
- Whitecroft
- Whitecross Manor
- Wigpool, Gloucestershire
- Wintour, Sir John
Coleford, Gloucestershire
COLEFORD grew from small beginnings and only had about eight houses in it in the mid-1300's. The Forest of Dean was primarily a Royal Hunting ground although there was small scale iron ore mining and some of the woodland was used to produce charcoal. It had a church by 1489. A small garrison was established there in 1642 by Parlimentarians during the English Civil War. When a Royalist army from Monmouth entered Coleford with 2000 men on their way to Gloucester, the Roundheads and some locals treid to bar their way. Three Royalist officers were shot dead, but the King's men managed to take several Roundhead officers prisoner and the Parliamentarians fled. During the altercation the market-house was burned down. King Charles was restored to the throne in 1660 and a market was established soon after. However a new market house was not built until 1679. The town grew over the next 30 years and had an estimated 160 houses by 1710. By 1830 there were about 8 pubs and many more beerhouse; the Foresters were very thirsty people! The market house was reconstructed on a larger scale. |
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The church, sited in the market place, was demolished in 1882 being too small, although the tower was left standing together with its'clock. The town hall (market house) was also demolished in 1968 leaving the clock tower as the only lasting monument to the market place. The larger church, St John the Evangelist, had been built elsewhere but even that was sold off in 2016. The small hamlet of Whitecliff lies half a mile south-west of Coleford on the way to Newland. There was ore smithy, a sort of early furnace, here in 1361 and several more in the 1400's and 1500's. However the furnace of Whitecliff ironworks began firing in about 1801 and a scond was built around 1808. Unfortuantely the furnace required considerable quantities of high quality coke, which was expensive. Consequently the project was abandoned in about 1814, but the ruins still remain. |
| Various sites near Coleford were quarried for Limestone and there were coal-mines to the north and east of the town. However as these industries began to wain, Coleford adapted. It became the main base for the Forest of Dean District Council and its growing populations attracted several major companies who had factories there. |