Lydbrook
Lydbrook is a large village situated on the western
edge of the Forest of Dean and adjacent to the Wye Valley.
Many of the village houses are high on the valley hillsides.
The Lydbrook valley was once the site of a thriving
tinplate works, opened in 1871 and closed in 1925. The
village also housed the large cable works factory built
in 1912 by H. W. Smith & Co. The works supplied
a vast quantity of field telephone cable during the
First World War. The old railway, built in 1872 ran
high along the hillside, and then crossed the valley
on a huge viaduct on 90ft high stone piers. The viaduct
was finally demolished in 1969. Without the heavy industry,
the village is now a tranquil backwater
. Lydbrook became established thanks to its deep valley,
running down to the Wye from the central Forest. It
offered a source of power (running water), close proximity
to materials such as wood, stone and iron ore and also
good communications and transport via the Wye. A mill
existed at Lydbrook as early as 1282 by the late 15th
century, there were three forges, a lime kiln a tinplate
works and a wire-works. It became the principle coal
port on the Wye from which Forest coal was shipped to
Ross and Hereford. Despite the fact that for most of
its history Lydbrook has been a hive of industrial activity,
surprisingly little of this remains to be seen. The
Forge Hammer Inn (currently closed) recalls the village's
past along with a row of former dockworkers cottages
at the foot of the valley near the river. There is a
group of limkilns in the lane above the Royal Spring
Inn and the King's Howarth Furnace, albeit in greatly
changed form also remains. Most notable however are
the abutments of the Severn & Wye Railway Viaduct,
which was built in 1872 to carry a branch railway line
from Cinderford, a major feat of 19th century engineering
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