Lydney is a town and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, England. It is on the west bank of the

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

in the

Forest of Dean District Forest of Dean is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in west Gloucestershire, England, named after the Forest of Dean. Its council is based in Coleford, Gloucestershire, Coleford. Other towns and villages in the district inc ...

, and is 16 miles (25 km) southwest of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. The town has been bypassed by the

A48 road The A48 is a trunk road in Great Britain running from the A40 at Highnam, west of Gloucester, England, to the A40 at Carmarthen, Wales. Before the Severn Bridge opened on 8 September 1966, it was a major route between England and South Wale ...

since 1995. The population was 8,960 at the 2001 census, decreasing to 8,766 at the 2011 census, and increasing to 10,043 at the 2021 census. Lydney has a harbour on the Severn, created when the

Lydney Canal The Lydney Canal is a one-mile canal in Gloucestershire that runs inland from the River Severn to Lydney. It was opened in 1813 to trans-ship iron and coal from the Forest of Dean. It was once connected by a horse-drawn tramroad to Pidc ...

was built. Adjoining the town,

Lydney Park Lydney Park is a 17th-century country estate surrounding Lydney House, located at Lydney in the Forest of Dean district in Gloucestershire, England. It is known for its gardens and Roman temple complex. House and gardens Lydney Park was boug ...

gardens have a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

temple dedicated to

Nodens *''Nodens'' or *''Nodons'' ( reconstructed from the dative ''Nodenti'' or ''Nodonti'') is a Celtic healing god worshipped in Ancient Britain. Although no physical depiction of him has survived, votive plaques found in a shrine at Lydney Park ...

Etymology

According to Cook (1906) the

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

"Lydney" derives from the Old English *''Lydan-eġ'', "

Lludd Lludd Llaw Ereint ("Lludd of the Silver Hand") son of Beli Mawr, is a legendary hero from Welsh mythology. As Nudd Llaw Ereint (the earlier form of his name, cognate of the Irish mythology, Irish Nuada Airgetlám, derived from the pre-Roman Celti ...

's Island", which could connect it with the name Nudd/

. However, more probable etymologies of Lydney are offered in other sources. A. D. Mills suggests "island or river-meadow of the sailor, or of a man named *Lida", citing the forms "Lideneg" from c. 853 and "Ledenei" from the 1086

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

. The English Place Name Society's Survey is in agreement with this.

History

In the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

promontory fort A promontory fort is a fortification, defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus using the topography to reduce the Rampart (fortification), ramparts needed. The oldest kno ...

was established at

and later used for iron ore mining. In the late Roman period, a

Roman temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in culture of ancient Rome, Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Architecture of ancient Rome, Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete ...

was built on the site of the fort. In 1588 the Vice-Admiral of England Sir William Winter was granted the manor of Lydney in recognition of his services against the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

White Cross Manor White Cross Manor was the manor house in Lydney, Gloucestershire, England, of the Wynter family. It was burnt to the ground in April 1645 on the orders of Sir John Wynter to avoid it being taken over by the Parliamentarians during the English C ...

, the house he built soon after he bought the manor, was burned down in 1645. In 1723 the Winter family sold their Lydney estate to the Bathurst family In 1810,

dock The word dock () in American English refers to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore). In British English, the term is not used the same way as in American Engl ...

s were constructed to capitalise on the town's location, close to the

. The River Lyd flows through the town and into the Severn. In 1935, Charles Bathurst was created Viscount Bledisloe of Lydney upon his retirement as

Governor-General of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand () is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and lives in the United Kingdom, he, on the Advice ...

. In 1940, the Pine End Works was built on Harbour Road, a Government run shadow factory producing plywood for the aircraft industry. On 31 August 1962,

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

played at

Lydney Town Hall Lydney Town Hall is a municipal structure in the High Street, Lydney, Gloucestershire, England. The structure, which is used as an events venue, is listed by the local authority as a "building of local architectural or historical interest". His ...

The Lydney Murder, 1964

In 1964 the town was the site of the Lydney Murder, a significant case in the history of the use of

entomology Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

to assist criminal investigations. On 28 June 1964 a body was found in woods near

Bracknell Bracknell () is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Built-up Area, Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Re ...

. By studying the

maggot A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachycera flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, hoverflies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and cr ...

s found on the body,

forensic Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

Professor Keith Simpson was able to establish a date of death of around 16 June 1964. Missing persons records for that date led the police to believe that the body was that of Peter Thomas, who had gone missing from his home in Lydney. Fingerprints confirmed the identification. William Brittle, a business partner of Thomas, was convicted of the murder. The Lydney Murder was the subject of an episode of the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

documentary: "Crime Museum UK with Martin Kemp".

Transport

The Severn Railway Bridge crossed just north of Lydney from

Purton Purton is a large village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, about northwest of the centre of Swindon. The parish includes the village of Purton Stoke and the hamlets of Bentham, Hayes Knoll, Purton Common ...

to Sharpness on the eastern bank. Built in the 1870s, it was damaged beyond repair by a pair of oil tanker barges in 1960. The barges hit Pier 17 bringing down two bowstring girders. There have been several plans to renew the link. Lydney railway station, managed by

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

which serves the town, is located on the Gloucester to Newport Line, with connections from the town centre by the

Dean Forest Railway The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the former Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that op ...

was once an important harbour for shipping timber, coal and iron from the Forest of Dean. It is now a harbour for pleasure craft. Lydney map 1946

The original name of Mumford Body & Engineering Company Limited was changed to Lydney Coachworks Limited in 1947 to continue bus bodybuilding work. Orders came mainly from local companies such as Red & White, United Welsh and Newbury & District plus a surprise order from Leigh Corporation in Lancashire. After only a short time the coachworks closed down in March 1952, the uncompleted orders being transferred to Bristol TCC and Eastern Coach Works.

Geography

The bedrock of Lydney and its environs is mostly

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

of the St Maughans, Brownstones, Coleford and Cromhall formations, with Raglan formation mudstone in the east extending under the River Severn, different

mudstone Mudstone, a type of mudrock, is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Mudstone is distinguished from ''shale'' by its lack of fissility.Blatt, H., and R.J. Tracy, 1996, ''Petrology.'' New York, New York, ...

and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

types to the west and Mercia mudstone to the south. The various types of bedrock date from the

Silurian The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 23.5 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the third and shortest period of t ...

(from 423.6 million years ago (mya) for Raglan mudstone) through to the end of the

Triassic The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is t ...

and the beginning of the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

periods (201.3 mya for Mercia mudstone). Lower-lying areas are overlain by

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

period deposits, sand and gravel (up to 2.588 mya, such as under Church Road and Bathurst Park) and the more recent estuarine alluvium of the Lydney Level, with some also from the Lyd, Plummer's Brook to the east and other brooks (up to 11.8 thousand years ago (the beginning of the

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

epoch), such as under Swan Road, Regent Street, Lydney Recreation Ground and the east-west railway line. Elevations range from 7 metres at the ponds south of the A48 to over 150 metres around Brockhollands and north of Allaston. DM2025 Lydney bedrock

Before the onset of the Holocene, parts of the coastline were at least as far north as Newerne Street, crossing north of the current A48 from the direction of Alvington in four places. There have been a number of changes in the coastline since Roman times. Early usage of alluvial resources were made from settlements based in the Forest of Dean. There were six or more land reclamation periods. An early seabank around reclaimed land from Stockwell Brook at Aylburton part of the way to Alvington has been attributed to first-millenium Roman construction. Iron was produced on an industrial scale and timber sourced from the Forest of Dean through the centuries as well as pottery being made. There was a large increase in the alluvium deposited between the years 500 and 1000. How exactly the land reclamation developed through mediaeval times is unknown. The flow of brooks into the Severn also changed - in places they were specifically channelled - and salt marsh growth below cliff areas was variously embanked, reclaimed, disputed and lost to the sea. Coal, iron, timber and stone were distributed via boat moorings or jetties at Cone Pill, Alvington Pill, Wose Pill (Aylburton Pill), Lydney Pill and Purton Pill throughout the Middle Ages with evidence of sheep and cattle found at the sites. These products, and bark, still passed via Lydney Pill in the 17th and 18th centuries. Trade was with Bristol and beyond using sloops and trows, but access was affected by silting and suitable tides. The building of the South Wales Railway in 1851 and its embankment, which stopped marine flooding and therefore silting, was vital for later development. A horse-drawn tramway had been built prior to this - to serve the Forest iron and coal industry - and then Lydney Harbour in 1813; the tram system was upgraded in stages to become the standard gauge Severn & Wye Railway. Old wooden jetties were abandoned. Lydney grew with the ironworks - later a tin-plate factory - and also from railway building. Increasing industry led to rebuilding in Lydney and Newerne in the 19th century, the latter merging from a separate village into Lydney in the mid 19th century at what was to become Hill Street. Despite the growth, the Severn & Wye Railway was never financially secure and the Dean Forest Railway is the only working part that remains. The tinplate factory closed in 1957 but Lydney's suburban spread continued in the mid-20th century. The harbour was designated a scheduled monument in 1980.

Government and politics

Lydney is covered by a three-tier system of local government. The upper authority is Gloucestershire County Council which is based in Shire Hall, Gloucester. The second tier being Forest of Dean District Council, based in Coleford which is a non-metropolitan district council. The lowest tier of local government is Lydney Town Council which covers an area of approximately 8 square miles. The council was awarded "Quality Gold" standard in September 2015 in a national award scheme for local councils.

Secondary education

The town is served by The Dean Academy, previously Whitecross School (1973-2012), and before that the Lydney Grammar School (1903–1973).

Media

Local TV coverage is provided by BBC West and

ITV West Country ITV West Country is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the South West England franchise area on the ITV network. Previously, between 2009 and 2013, the area was a non-franchise region, branded with the same ...

. Television signals are received from the Mendip TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Heart West, Greatest Hits Radio South West and Dean Radio, a community based radio station. The local newspaper is ''The Forester''.

Sport, recreation and arts

The town's rugby football club plays

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and is based at Regentsholme. The club had successful runs in the John Player Cup during the 1980s, including a match against Sale F.C. which was televised on the BBC's

Rugby Special ''Rugby Special'' was the main rugby union highlights programme on the BBC in the UK. The show ran from 1966 and past presenters included David Vine, Keith Macklin, Cliff Morgan, Chris Rea (rugby union), Chris Rea, Nigel Starmer-Smith, Bill Beaum ...

. There is also a leisure centre which contains an indoor swimming pool, a gym and more. Lydney Cricket Club is an English amateur

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

club that was founded in 1862 and has been based on The Bob Park Cricket Ground on Swan Road since 1949. Lydney CC have three Saturday senior XI teams. The 1st and 2nd XI compete in the Gloucestershire County Cricket League, the 3rd XI are in the Cheltenham, Gloucester and Forest of Dean League. They also have a Midweek senior XI team in the Forest of Dean Midweek League, a Sunday XI team that play the occasional friendly matches in and around the local district, and an established junior training section that play competitive cricket in the Leadon Vale Youth Cricket League. Former Glamorgan captain and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

opening batsman Steve James began his career at the club. Lydney was also the club of first English club of England wicket-keeper Geraint Jones. Lydney Town F.C. is based at the town's recreation ground, they run a total of four sides playing

Hellenic Football League The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's association football, football league covering an area including the English Counties of the United Kingdom, cou ...

, Gloucestershire Northern Senior League and two sides in the North Gloucestershire Football League. Bathurst Park in the centre of the town (not to be confused with

on the town's outskirts) is home to several senior and junior football and cricket teams. There is a hockey club hockey club and a

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

club which play their home games at Whitecross School. Lydney Golf Club was a nine-hole course located off Lakeside Avenue but has built a new course on a site located on the opposite side of the Lydney Bypass. There is an outdoor swimming pool, the Bathurst Swimming Pool built in the 1920s, open from May until early September. It is operated by volunteers (excluding the life guards). Lydney Twonkers

Scrabble ''Scrabble'' is a word game in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a Board game, game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, in crossword fashion, re ...

Club play their home games at the town's library. The Twonkers were Western Area Scrabble League champions in 2001 and 2005 and were twice runners-up in the National Scrabble Club Knockout Tournament in 1999 and 2003. Lydney has a town brass band that was founded in 1892. The organisation operates three ensembles, the Town Band, the Training Band, and a Starter Group. The Town Band is a competitive band nationally graded in the Third Section, competing in various competitions throughout the year and regularly delivering concerts in the local community. In 2016 the Town Band qualified to represent the West of England at the National Brass Band Championship of Great Britain (Fourth Section) and in 2022 celebrated its 130th anniversary. The Training Band and Starter Group offer tuition for people at various stages of learning to play brass instruments, and regularly perform at events and concerts in the local community. Lydney parkrun started on 2 January 2016 - the free 5k timed weekly run, starts near to the garage block at Lydney Boating Lake and comprises three laps.

Tourism

* Norchard is the home of the

. *

is the site of a

Romano-British The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, ...

Roman Temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in culture of ancient Rome, Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Architecture of ancient Rome, Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete ...

and was an

hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

. It also has gardens which are open to the public for a limited period each spring. * Taurus Crafts, which also occupies a section of the Lydney Park estate, is a Camphill community and popular visitor destination comprising a variety of craft shops and café.

Twinned towns

* Bréhal, Manche, northwest France

Organisations

* 614 (Lydney) Squadron

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, volunteer youth organisation; aligned to, and fostering the knowledge and learning of military values, primarily focusing on military aviation. Part of the ...

* 586 (Lydney) Sea Cadet Corps * Lydney and District Dramatic Society

Notable people

:''See :People from Lydney'' * Charles Bathurst, Lord Bledisloe (1867–1958),

from 1930 to 1935, who became Viscount Bledisloe of Lydney in 1935 * F. W. Harvey (1888–1957), a poet known particularly for his works during World War I, lived in Yorkley and practised as a solicitor in Lydney. * Christopher Herbert (1944–),

Bishop of St Albans The Bishop of St Albans is the Ordinary (officer), Ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of St Albans in the Province of Canterbury. The bishop is supported in his work by two suffragan bishops, the Bishop of Hertford and the Bishop o ...

from 1996 to 2009 * Herbert Howells (1892–1983), composer known for his Anglican church music, born in Lydney. *

Steve James (cricketer) Stephen Peter James (born 7 September 1967) is an English journalist and former cricketer who played two Test matches for England in 1998, making 71 runs in four innings. James was captain of Glamorgan for three seasons before injury for ...

(born 1967), former England / Glamorgan batsman and now Sports journalist for the Telegraph was born in Lydney and played both cricket and rugby for the town. * Lisa Rogers, television presenter * Sir William Winter (died 1589), Vice-Admiral of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

* Sir John Winter (died 1676), grandson of William, and prominent royalist during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

References

External links

Information
from the

Royal Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the ...

website.
Lydney Grammar School
– History site
Whitecross School
– Official site
Dean Forest Railway

Historic pictures of the Lydney and area.

British History page for Lydney

Photos of Lydney and area on Geograph
{{authority control Towns in Gloucestershire Populated places on the River Severn Forest of Dean Towns of the Welsh Marches