- New Fancy
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New Fancy 
Roll of Honour sculptureLocation Parkend, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, UK Coordinates 51°47′00″N 2°32′28″W / 51.78335°N 2.5411°W Operated by Forestry Commission Status Open all year New Fancy is the site of an afforested coal spoil heap near Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. It includes a picnic area, and a viewing site, in particular for goshawks. It is linked to the Forest of Dean Family Cycle Trail.[1]
Contents
History
The New Fancy coal mine was opened by Edward Protheroe in 1827, as part of the Park End Coal Company. By 1860 it was owned by Sully & Co., and in 1885 was sold to the Parkend & New Fancy Collieries Co. Ltd. It remained in operation until 1944.[2]
Bird watching
The top of the old coal mine spoil heap has been converted into a viewing site known as New Fancy View, particularly for birdwatchers, and gives panoramas over an extensive forested area. It is best known for its raptors, especially goshawks, best seen from late morning onwards in February and March.[3][4] In February 1998, a female Two-barred Crossbill was present in a crossbill flock here, drawing many birdwatchers from across Britain.[3]
Roll of Honour miners' memorial
The Roll of Honour sculpture was commissioned by the Forest of Dean Local History Society to honour those who worked and were killed or injured in the mines and quarries of the Forest of Dean. It was constructed by Graham Tyler and John Wakefield and was unveiled in 2005. It consists of three elements - stone, iron (represented by rusted steel), and coal (represented by carved and blackened local oak) - and stands around 11 feet (3.4 m) high. Stainless steel discs set into the sculpture represent the tokens carried by miners to determine who was below ground in the event of accidents.[5]
Forest of Dean Geomap
The Forest of Dean Geomap, a 900 square feet (84 m2) sculpture of the geology and mines of the Forest of Dean area, was unveiled at the New Fancy picnic site in May 2008. It was commissioned by the local history society, who received a grant from DEFRA’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, and was constructed by sculptor David Yeates of Mitcheldean before being assembled on site.[6] The rock strata depicted are built from samples of the rock they represent. Metal discs represent the locations of the main iron and coal mines and quarries, with black lines to represent coal seams and white lines for railway routes.[7] It is flat and polished, but not shiny, and is intended to be walked on.[6]
References
- ^ "New Fancy". Forestry Commission. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/Recreation.nsf/LUWebDocsByKey/EnglandGloucestershireNoForestForestOfDeanNewFancy. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ "Parkend". Forest of Dean Local History Society. http://www.lightmoor.co.uk/forestcoal/CoalParkend.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ a b "Forest of Dean". Birding Today. http://www.birdingtoday.co.uk/sites_guides_47.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08.[dead link]
- ^ "New Fancy View". Love The Forest of Dean and The Wye Valley. http://www.love-forestofdean-wyevalley.co.uk/item.php?item_id=43&name=New%20Fancy%20View. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ "Miners Memorial Unveiled at New Fancy". Local Heritage Initiative. http://www.lhi.org.uk/projects_directory/projects_by_region/south_west/gloucestershire/forest_of_dean_local_history_society/miners_1.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ a b "Geomap - Forest of Dean". Forest of Dean Local History Society. http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHSnewsGeoMap.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ "Forest of Dean Geomap at New Fancy view". Forest of Dean And Wye Valley Tour Guides. http://ftg.org.uk/News.html. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
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