Coleford, Gloucestershire

Coordinates: 51°47′28″N 2°36′58″W / 51.7910°N 2.6162°W / 51.7910; -2.6162

Coleford
Coleford Baptist Church
Coleford Railway Museum
Coleford  Coleford shown within Gloucestershire
Population	8,351
OS grid reference	SO5710
District	Forest of Dean
Shire county	Gloucestershire
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	COLEFORD
Postcode district	GL16
Dialling code	01594
Police	Gloucestershire
Fire	Gloucestershire
Ambulance	Great Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Forest of Dean
List of places: UK • England • Gloucestershire

Coleford is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England in the west of the Forest of Dean with a population of 8,351 (2001 census). It is situated some four miles east of the Welsh border, and is close to the Wye Valley, a popular walking and canoeing area. It is the administrative centre of the Forest of Dean district.

History

Coleford takes its name from one of two brooks that merge in its centre and was, as its name suggests, a fording point. The streams were culverted in the 19th century^{[citation needed]}, but the one flowing through St John's Street was reopened in 2001 to allow for maintenance work, before being recovered.

Coleford is one of the oldest Forest of Dean towns, largely developed before, and not deeply affected by, coal mining, which became the Forest's staple industry during the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries. For this reason it differs visually from Cinderford, the other major Forest town. Coleford's architecture is mainly Georgian in appearance^{[citation needed]}, although many of the façades cover much older structures.

In 1798, work commenced on Whitecliff Ironworks, situated on the south-western edge of Coleford.^[1] Despite being managed by the noted Scottish metallurgist, David Mushet, the works were not successful and ceased production by 1816.^[2] Other notable buildings include The Angel public house, with its large arched entrance, hinting at coaching inn days; what was Trotters Department Store, now home to Fairways Furnishings; and the clock tower in the town centre. This tower was originally attached to an octagonal church, built in 1821; but when, in 1882, the edifice was considered too small for the town's population^{[citation needed]}, the main building was demolished. A much larger ecclesiastical building (St John's) was built on a hillside overlooking the town. A market hall stood next to the clock tower until the 1960s.

Today

Coleford was more able to adapt to the mine closures of the 1950s than its neighbour Cinderford. Today, due to its prime location in the heart of the Forest, it is popular with walkers and cyclists, and the local council has been striving to encourage further tourist interest. There is a large factory here, originally called Carters, then Beechams, and now part of GlaxoSmithKline, the sole production facility for Ribena and Lucozade. One old building that has survived is the former goods shed for the defunct railway line to Monmouth; it is now the Coleford GWR Museum.

The town is home to author Andrew Taylor, and children's writer and illustrator Shoo Rayner. The poet Paul Groves lived locally from 1971 to 1996. Mary Howitt, author of over 200 books, was born here on 12 March 1799.^[3]

References

1. ^ The Whitecliff Ironworks in the Forest of Dean, Part one, page 22
2. ^ Standing, Ian. (1986). The Whitecliff Ironworks in the Forest of Dean, page 9
3. ^ Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 28, Mary Howitt

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  Coleford clock tower

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  The Parish Church of Coleford, Saint John the Evangelist

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  Former Independent Chapel

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  A pink and white house (Rock Castle Dental Practice)

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  The Angel Hotel, behind the site of the old Market Hall

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  St John's Street, in the centre of Coleford

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  Whitecliff Ironworks, on Newland Street