Blakeney
Blakeney is a small, thriving village on the eastern
edge of the Forest of Dean, on the main A48 road between
Gloucester and Chepstow. It was at a house called Hawfield
that Thomas Stenhold was born. He was Groom of the Robes
to Henry VIII and his son, but is renowned (along with
John Hopkins of Awre) for publishing the first metrical
version of the Psalms. The house where he was born still
exists in the village. Thomas Sternhold died in 1549.
Situated at the confluence of the Blackpool and Soudley
Brooks, Blakeney is a busy Forest village that was a
natural site for early industry (an iron forge and furnace
existed here as early as 1228). The oldest building
is the 16th century Swan House, formerly an inn, although
there are several 17th and 18th century buildings in
the village, the largest being the early 18th century
Church of All Saints. Blakeney's industrial past is
recalled by several buildings, including two corn-mill;
the Upper Mill, by the A48 and Nibley Mill ( a partly
half timbered house with adjoining stone mill where
the B4431 Parkend road joins the A48). The old Blakeney
Goods Station and the imposing six arched railway viaduct
were built for the Forest of Dean Central Railway, which
was begun in 1856 and was intended to run from Howbeach
Colliery (situated about 1mile north east of the village)
to a new dock at Brimspill on the Severn, it was never
completed and only ran to a junction on the main South
Wales line.
During renovations on one of the houses near Blackpool
Brook, a large high-status Roman villa was discovered.
This building was located next to the Roman military
coast road from Newhnam and it not only had a heating
system, tiled roof and a stone courtyard but also a
slip-way on the stream, indicating it was accessible
by boat from the Severn. Pottery on the site dated construction
to c75AD, making it the earliest villa known in the
Dean and it was occupied for around sixty years until
being demolished sometime in the middle of the 2nd century.
It is thought that it was the residence of a high ranking
Roman official, possibly an Army officer from the legionary
fortress at Gloucester.
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Tourist Information
The
Dean Heritage Centre
The Museum of the Forest, and the place to visit in
the area. You could spend all day here! Take the Cinderford
road from Blakeney which is well signposted to the Dean
Heritage Centre.
Wenchford is an idyllic picnic spot in the forest,
with a stream, space to play games, or to just sit and
enjoy the peaceful surroundings. There are several barbeque
hearths (just bring your own charcoal). Follow the signs
from Blakeney taking the road towards Parkend, and Wenchford
is on the right hand side, off the main road.
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Churches
The Church of England church at Blakeney was built in the 1800's. Before this time, the parish was combined with the village of Awre, a little further to the east and closer to the River Severn. The font is what appears to be a 15th century stoup for holy water, belived to have been removed from Awre church during the Reformation and buried for safety. It was found near Gatcombe when the railway was built, and used locally as a flower pot for many years before being brought to the church at Blakeney. In the early 1800s there was a considerable non-conformist movement from the established church, and a tabenacle was built at Blakeney in 1823, a mile north of the village. This building is now used as houses. A replacement tabenacle was built in the village in 1849 (before the church of England church was built).
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