Forest of Dean NMP

The Forest of Dean NMP survey area encompasses that part of Gloucestershire to the west of the River Severn. A mixed deciduous and conifer forest dominates the centre but this tree cover becomes more dispersed towards the edge and the woodland is interspersed with areas of farmland and unimproved land.

The Forest of Dean is an area underrepresented in terms of known archaeological sites. This apparent scarcity may reflect a genuine absence of sites or be the result of the relatively small amount of archaeological research undertaken in this area. Because of this low number of known sites, a survey of aerial photographs of the Forest of Dean was undertaken as part of English Heritage’s National Mapping Programme (NMP). This work was carried out in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council who are using the NMP data to assist and target their field survey.

A range of photographs from the 1940s onwards were used in the survey and these illustrate the felling and replanting of different parts of the forest through time. Each felled area provides a window on any archaeological sites otherwise hidden under the trees. This is well illustrated by the discovery of a possible Prehistoric enclosure in a clearing visible on a photograph taken in 1946. In all subsequent photographs and on a recent flight the pattern of tree planting meant that the enclosure could not be seen.

The Forest of Dean has traditionally been an area of extensive industrial activity and the initial phase of the project concentrated on a form of iron ore extraction unique to the Forest. These iron ore quarries are known within the forest as Scowles and are thought to be semi-natural cavities in the limestone outcrops that have been enlarged through the extraction process. Charcoal was used as a fuel in the iron making process and the areas where charcoal was made have been seen as both earthworks and cropmarks. Other industrial remains so far recorded include iron works, coal mining, stone quarrying and the network of tramways and railways that served some of these concerns.

The nature of the Forest meant that there was close liaison with those surveying on the ground as the NMP project is part of a broader project on the Forest being carried out by Gloucestershire County Council. The nature of the archaeological remains also meant that the project was in contact with the various specialist groups with an interest in the industrial remains in the Forest. This combination of survey techniques has yielded a fuller record of activity in the Forest than has been available to date. The mapped data and the records created have been passed to Gloucestershire County Council for incorporation in their SMR, but these, together with the photographs from which the area was mapped, are avaialble for consultation through the National Monuments Record, Swindon.

The images used on this page are copyright English Heritage unless specified otherwise. For further details of any photographs or other images and for copies of these, or the plans and reports related to the project please contact the NMR English Heritage's public archive.

For further information on a project or any other aspect of the work of the Aerial Survey team please contact us at: AerialSurvey@english-heritage.org.uk.