Hippo The Watersaver
is the simple, proven and low cost water saving device to help conserve water i..
Gallery 54 - Ross on..
Contemporary abstract art, ceramics and glassware
Life Changing Activi..
Fun, adventure, and personal growth in the Great Outdoors
Winifred Foley
Winifred Foley was born in 1914 in the small village of Brierley, near Cinderford. The daughter of a Miner, she is another life-long resident of the Forest to write an autobiographical account of her life.

A Child in the Forest, the first book of the now celebrated 'Forest Trilogy' was published in 1974, when Winifred Foley was 60 years old. Chronicling her upbringing during the early part of the twentieth century, it is a tale told with tenderness and humour despite the vivid depiction of social and economic hardships. The story was used for inspiration for the acclaimed television drama 'Abide with Me'.

The sequel to A Child in the Forest, entitled No Pipe Dreams for Father tells the story of Winifred's teenage years. The concluding volume - Back to the Forest, is the story of when she returns to live in her beloved Forest of Dean with a family of her own after the second world war.

The trilogy tells a remarkable story of changing times in a place where the values of family and community are always going to remain strong.
More Local History
Books on the Forest ..
An inciteful overview and review of books about the Forest of Dean, listing many of the must reads about the area. Both locals and visitors will find something to delight in.
Catherine Drew - The..
Catherine Drew - renowned as the Forest Poetess, wrote many poems about the Forest, some of which were published in a, still hard to find, limited edition book.
Charcoal Burning
The ancient industry of charcoal burning, produced industrially in the area from the 1800's, crucial to the Forest of Dean, and of national importance in iron production for many hundreds of years.
Churches
An introduction to the Churches in the Forest by the local history society.
Dennis Potter
A brief introduction to Potter's life in the Forest of Dean. The critically acclaimed playwright was born in May 1935, at Joyford Hill, Berry Hill, Coleford, - the eldest son of a Forest coal miner.
Foresters Rights
Details of the ancient rights of the Foresters, from keeping sheep and pigs in the Forest through to Forest Freemining.
Freeeminers of the F..
Introduction to the Freeminers, story and photos by Mark Campbell. For 700 years the Free Miners of the Royal Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, have mined coal but now their future is in doubt.
Ivor Gurney
Famous Forester - 1890 to 1937, renowned poet of the first world war, lived in a house near Minsterworth. Along with Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon and Isaac Rosenburg, he portrayed t..
J K Rowling
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series of Books, part of our famous people from the Forest of Dean series.
Local History Societ..
Founded in 1948, with over 300 members world wide. The primary aim of the Society is to encourage local historical and archaeological research in the Forest of Dean and its environs.
Marefold and the Fur..
The Dark Hill foundry site is where the age of IRON ended and the STEEL age began. MAREFOLD AND THE FURNACE - Forging the Links - by Keith Webb
The Romans
Roman presence in the Forest of Dean With much of the Roman remains in the Forest of Dean probably still undiscovered, there are several identifiable sites of interest.
Tudors and Stuarts
The Tudor and Stewart period in Forest history was a time when iron was being produced locally in large amounts, possibly one sixth of the production of the Kingdom was coming from the Forest of Dean.
Wartime Memories
The Lydney Evacuees 1939 by Stan Tarrant. There is little doubt that the evacuation of children prior to the war in 1939 was a heart-rending experience both for parents and the children.
Winifred Foley
Winifred - a life-long resident of the Forest who wrote an important autobiographical account of her life, part of our famous people from the Forest of Dean series.