Family Memories Cinderford

Walks around Cinderford

There were several walks around the town with which we were familiar. At the rear of Lower High Street where my father made his home were the woods only a hundred yards or so up the side lane. The lane is now a short road and the adjoining common now contains houses. But the woods are still there occupying the same position as formerly only a stones throw away.

A favourite Sunday evening walk was up the short lane into the wood still named Haywood. The lane indicated the track of an old horse-drawn tramway and took a course up into the woods where it was used to bring coal down to that lower part of Cinderford at Ruspidge. Here the smelting furnaces were formerly located and where even now can be seen the large chunks of scoriae and cinders from the works. The origin of the name Cinderford is from this locality. A ford of these boulder remnants would have been used to help cross the brook running down the valley. To continue our woodland walk, the fringe still consists of oaks which escaped the felling of the 1939-45 War. Beyond this fringe are the present day conifers. We would take the lower ride, the branch of the old tramway where former shallow workings or levels would have connected with it. The walk continued for about one and a half miles on the level until at the extremity we come to the vicarage of the forest church with its large walled garden. Just a short distance beyond, across the main road is the church itself at Drybrook, serving as a centre for the settlements round about. This was a popular short walk and still pleasant in spite of the replacement of the oaks by firs. The church of the Holy Trinity at Drybrook, similarly that of St. Stephens at Cinderford, are not ancient foundations but were built to accommodate the increasing population of the mid 19th century and possibly to provide an alternative to the non-conformist establishments which had taken hold throughout the Forest of Dean.

Another pleasant but more strenuous walk was straight up through the woods over the rim of the Forest area down to Green Bottom and so to St. Anthony's Well. First was the gentle rise to the rim and then down a tortuous descent named Jacob's Ladder. The descent is through rough ground littered with boulders of the carboniferous limestone, the formation from which the iron-ore for local industry was obtained. At the foot of Jacob's Ladder, the path levels out past the remains of lime kilns to Green Bottom. Here are the Cinderford Waterworks, quite unobtrusive and once the only water supply, which had to be pumped up and over to the town. It proved inadequate for the needs of the growing population but still boosts the present supply. Our path continues to the left through the woods for a short way to St. Anthony's Well. This is an exceptionally pleasant spot completely surrounded by deciduous woods and by nearby immense beech trees several hundred years old. The return is the steep ascent to what we knew as "Anderson's" Lodge where the keeper of that name and time lived. This high point is now crowned by a television, mast a landmark for miles around. The gradual walk down is still wooded and so leads us back to our starting point. It was indeed a pleasant excursion.

Littledean Hill is the highest part of Cinderford along the crest overlooking the extensive Severn Vale. Our walk again would take us up through the woods slightly inclining to the right and emerging onto the "Causeway". The old tram track was from the old iron mines at St. Annals on Littledean Hill along and down through more to the centre of Cinderford town to Ruspidge where the smelting of the ore took place. On reaching the causeway we found in those days two small quarries on the left. The first contained a well where horses would have been watered and would also have provided a supply for houses a short distance away. The second quarry a hundred or so yards further along was water filled and speaking in a sordid way provide a favourite spot for those who wished to end their days. Along the crest of the hill is a view facing west which gives a wide panorama of the River Severn Valley with the background of the Cotswolds fifteen miles or so distant. Along the Vale the river meanders with a large loop from Westbury to the south-west. At low tide the extensive sands are seen which become completely covered with the flow at two or three hours later. To the west beyond the houses of the town the view takes in the forest itself. The territory of seven forest lodges (keepers houses) can be seen. Double view School, which was the main school of the earlier days for older children, was descriptive of its situation, possibly a healthy situation open to all wind and weather from east or west.