Newnham is a village in the Forest of Dean just south-west of Littledean. It lies on the River Severn on the A48, which goes between Gloucester and Chepstow.

The village was a chapelry of Westbury and had a chapel of ease from about 1018, the population being modest in size. A parish church was built in the 1300's but it was threatened by the ever changing River Severn, and a new church Newnham St Peter was built.   (Click on "St Peter" in blue to read more and click BACK to return here). The church was famously damaged by a gunpower explosion in 1644 during the English Civil War.

Newnham was important because it was on the River Severn and it was possible to ford the river here. The Romans had three roads cross here, the Saxons made a settlement here and the Normans built a motte-and-Bailey fort her to defend the shore line. Later the ford became inpassable after the river washed the sands and stone away. In also grew and became an important port in medieval times.

Still, we do know Newnham thrived as a port, but its advantage was lost by the construction of the Gloucester and Sharpness canel. Newnham had a railway station from 1851, but it closed in 1964.

As well as being an important port, trading in timber, bark from oak trees for tanning and, of course, coal. It was a site for ship building, had its' modest own tanning industry and some glass-making. The exports went to London, Bristol and to ireland, but not exclusively.