Mitcheldean is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

in the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...

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.

History

Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

deposits. During the 19th century, the town grew due to revenues produced by Wintles' Forest Brewery. Like several of the Forest of Dean villages, Mitcheldean is a close-knit community with individual traditions. One of these was the locally famous (or infamous) Mitcheldean Prize Brass Band. It is vividly remembered and described in a memoir by Arthur Bullock, a resident of nearby Longhope, whose father and brothers were in it. Recounting the band's exploits, he comments, 'I only wish I could have been privileged to hear the Mitcheldean Prize Brass Band play when all of the players were fully sober at the same time'. However, it is indeed sobering to read his further reflection that the band must have been 'killed off by the 1914-18 war'. In the 20th century the town grew further due to the Rank Xerox photocopier factory. Although this industry significantly declined during the latter half of the 20th century, much of the former Rank Xerox site (now Vantage Point Business Village) is now occupied by small businesses, new manufacturing and distribution businesses.

Transport

Mitcheldean is served by buses 24, 33, 35a, 72 and 746, which give it regular connections to

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

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 ...

Cinderford Cinderford is a town and civil parish on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The population was 8,777 at the 2021 Census. The town came into existence in the 19th century, following the rapid expansion of the ...

, Coleford,

Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 10,978 in 2021. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the River Wye and on the northern edge of the Fore ...

Lydney Lydney is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is on the west bank of the River Severn in the Forest of Dean District, and is 16 miles (25 km) southwest of Gloucester. The town has been Bypass ( ...

and

Chepstow Chepstow () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the ...

. Mitcheldean was served by Mitcheldean Road railway station on the former Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway until its closure in 1964. The station was quite a distance from the town almost two miles away in Lea, Herefordshire. The nearest station was actually Longhope railway station in the neighboring village of Longhope. Today, the nearest railway station is Gloucester railway station (12 miles), with

and

Ledbury Ledbury is a market town and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills. It has a significant number of Tudor style timber-framed structures, in particular along Church Lane a ...

at 14 and 16 miles away respectively.

Governance

The town is the most populous area of 'Mitcheldean and Drybrook'

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

. This ward starts in the north east at Mitcheldean and stretches south westerly to

Drybrook Drybrook is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England. Location It lies in the north-west edge of the Royal Forest, bordering with Herefordshire, about from Cinderford, and about from Mitcheldean. ...

. The total ward population taken at the 2011 census was 4,607.

Amenities

There are several shops in the centre of the town, a Co-operative store, a butcher. 3 hairdressers, a pharmacy, a florist and 3 fast food outlets. There is also a community library, a doctor's surgery, and two pubs. There is also a Brewery bar/pub and separate restaurant in the Mews. Mitcheldean Town Hall was completed in 1710.

Church of St Michael

Mitcheldean's wealthy tradition is evident in some of its buildings in the town centre, particularly the church of St. Michael.

Schools

The town has a secondary school, Dene Magna School, which has performed consistently well in

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a non-ministerial department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

inspections since 2001. The school has a sixth form and provides A-levels at a second campus in

which is a shared space with GlosCol. The other options for Year 12 students are Gloucestershire College, Newent Community School, Forest Highschool in

and a Sixth Form Centre in

Newent Newent (; originally called "Noent") is a market town and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The town is north-west of Gloucester. Its population was 5,073 at the 2001 census, rising to 5,207 in 2011, The population ...

, John Kyrle High School in

, Monmouth Comprehensive School in

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

or one of the grammar school-based

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

s in Gloucester. As well as a secondary school, Mitcheldean has a primary school of about 200 children.

Media

Local news and television programmes are

BBC West Midlands BBC Midlands is the BBC English Regions, BBC English Region producing local radio and World Wide Web, web content for the City of Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcest ...

and

ITV Central ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee in the English Midlands. It was created following ...

. Television signals are received from the Ridge Hill TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Gloucestershire on 104.7 FM, Heart West on 102.4 FM, Greatest Hits Radio South West on 107.5 FM, and Dean Radio, a community based radio station that broadcast on 95.7 FM. The town is served by the local newspaper, The Forester.

Sport

Mitcheldean has two men's football teams. The team competes in the North Gloucestershire Association Football League. The club also has a ladies team and a youth section, consisting of teams between the ages of 9-15, each of which compete in the

Severn Valley The Severn Valley is a rural area of the West Midlands region of England, through which the River Severn runs and the Severn Valley Railway steam heritage line operates, starting at its northernmost point in Bridgnorth, Shropshire and runnin ...

youth football league.

References

External links

Mitcheldean
{{authority control Towns in Gloucestershire Civil parishes in Gloucestershire Forest of Dean