| Drybrook | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Drybrook Location within Gloucestershire | |
| Population | 3,052 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SO646176 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DRYBROOK |
| Postcode district | GL17 |
| Dialling code | 01594 |
| Police | Gloucestershire |
| Fire | Gloucestershire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Drybrook is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England.
It lies in the north-west edge of the Royal Forest, bordering with Herefordshire, about three miles (5 km) from Cinderford, and about two miles (3 km) from Mitcheldean.
In the 2001 census, Drybrook had a population of 2,855. [1] This includes 1,391 men and 1,464 women. There are 1,146 households in the village. By the 2011 census the population had increased to 3,052. [2]
The village has a range of amenities, including a chemist, general stores, hairdresser, fish and chips shop, builder's merchant, doctor's surgery, nursery school, primary school, and a bus service to Gloucester and surrounding areas.
The nearest secondary school is Dene Magna School, which is in Mitcheldean. Drybrook has a rugby club, which is at the top of the High Street, [3] and it also has a football club on Harrow Hill. Among the villages in the Forest of Dean, Drybrook has been voted one of the best villages to live in, for its scenery and leisure. [4]
Drybrook School, which is the village's only school, is a primary school for pupils of ages 4 years to 11 years. [5] The nearest secondary school is Dene Magna Community School, which is in Abenhall, by Mitcheldean. Dene Magna Community School is about 1 mile from Drybrook.
Drybrook is also known as a royal hunting ground, [6] where the white deer, and, according to legend a black panther roamed. Unfortunately, the white deer was killed after being hit down and then trophy hunters cut off its head, but the police have not caught the person responsible. [7] Drybrook also had a good supply of coal and stone. As Drybrook grew, so did its boundary, and it grew to include a small village called Harrow Hill (or as most locals call it, Harry Hill). The village's first modern church, The Holy Trinity Church, was built on Harrow Hill in 1817. [8] The church's location is on the way to Mitcheldean.
The Mechanical Organ Museum is situated at the north end of the village, on the road to Lea and Ross-on-Wye. It has been called "a unique collection of mechanical music spanning the last 150 years, hidden away on the edge of the Forest of Dean. Mechanical organs, polyphons, pianola, automatic piano, electronic organs & musical boxes". [9]
The Forest of Dean has been known for warm summers and cold winters. Some of the extremes that have been recorded in Drybrook are 36.6 °C in August 2003 European heat wave and -16 °C in January 2010. Snow and rain have also been a problem in the village: for example, in the winter of 2005, six inches of snow fell in a few hours, causing horrific traffic problems. And the Gloucestershire Floods of 2007 were also a major problem for the village. The averages are pretty much normal for Drybrook as they would be for most of the south of England, but in the winter it may change as Drybrook is on higher ground than other towns and cities in the surrounding area. For example, in January, the average high temperature in Drybrook is 3 °C while in Gloucester the average low temperature is 7 °C.
Drybrook experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The information below is Gloucester's climate.
| Climate data for Drybrook, (Gloucester) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8 (46) | 9 (48) | 11 (52) | 14 (57) | 18 (64) | 20 (68) | 23 (73) | 23 (73) | 19 (66) | 15 (59) | 11 (52) | 7 (45) | 14.8 (58.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3 (37) | 4 (39) | 4 (39) | 6 (43) | 8 (46) | 12 (54) | 13 (55) | 13 (55) | 11 (52) | 8 (46) | 6 (43) | 4 (39) | 7.7 (45.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 63.2 (2.49) | 51.2 (2.02) | 46.5 (1.83) | 77.7 (3.06) | 45.9 (1.81) | 52.3 (2.06) | 43.3 (1.70) | 53.9 (2.12) | 63.4 (2.50) | 93.3 (3.67) | 69.5 (2.74) | 77.8 (3.06) | 738 (29.1) |
| Source: [10] | |||||||||||||
Drybrook Road railway station railway station closed in 1943. [11]
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 north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.
Forest of Dean is a local government district in west Gloucestershire, England, named after the Forest of Dean. Its council is based in Coleford. Other towns and villages in the district include Blakeney, Cinderford, Drybrook, English Bicknor, Huntley, Littledean, Longhope, Lydbrook, Lydney, Mitcheldean, Newnham and Newent.
Ruardean Hill is a prominent hill and a village in the English county of Gloucestershire, 20 km (12 mi) west of Gloucester. It lies in the Forest of Dean, in the parish of Drybrook.
Abenhall is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Mitcheldean, in the Forest of Dean district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the road between Mitcheldean and Flaxley in the Forest of Dean. The parish included the settlement of Plump Hill, which is actually more populous than Abenhall itself, and was once part of the Hundred of St Briavels. Originally a mining and iron-making centre like much of the surrounding area, the village is notable for its 14th century Church of St Michael, which is built of local red sandstone and has ornate contemporary carvings relating to the Forest of Dean's principal industries. These include a shield bearing the arms of the Freeminers on the west wall and a mid-15th century octagonal font, that has tools of miners and metalworkers incised on its sides. Abenhall is a tiny, ancient village in a secluded quiet valley near Mitcheldean. The parish includes the settlement of Plump Hill, on the Mitcheldean to Cinderford Road as it climbs into the high Forest. Abenhall is on the Flaxley to Mitcheldean Road. Originally a mining and iron making centre, it is notable for its 14th century Church of St Michael, which is built of local red sandstone and has excellent contemporary carvings relating to the Forest of Dean's industries. These include a shield bearing the arms of the Freeminers on the west wall and the fabulous mid-15th century octagonal font, that has tools of miners and metalworkers incised on its sides. In the west tower is a spectacular new window installed 14 April 2011 by stained glass artist Thomas Denny; presented by the current free miners of the Forest of Dean to represent their gratitude and present day continuation of the ancient local customs of coal, iron ore and stone mining. In 1931 the parish had a population of 230.
Aston Ingham is a village in south-eastern Herefordshire, England, near Newent and about 7 miles (11 km) east of Ross-on-Wye. The population of the village at the 2011 census was 398. There is a church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, which has been a Grade II* listed building since 17 March 1987.
Harrow Hill A.F.C. is an English football club which is based in the village of Harrow Hill, Gloucestershire, nearby Drybrook. The club are currently members of the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League Division Two and play at Larksfield Road. The club also have two other senior men's teams that play in the North Gloucestershire Football League and are affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA.
East Dean and United Parishes Rural District, later renamed East Dean Rural District, was a rural district in Gloucestershire, England from 1894 to 1974. It included a number of civil parishes, including East Dean, and was subject to a significant boundary reform in 1935.
Mitcheldean is a market town in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England.
Forest of Dean District Council is the local authority for the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The council is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2019, 38 councillors are elected from 21 wards.
Lydbrook is a civil parish in the Forest of Dean, a local government district in the English county of Gloucestershire and is located in the Wye Valley. It is on the north west edge of the Forest of Dean's present legal boundary proper. It comprises the districts of Lower Lydbrook, Upper Lydbrook, Joys Green and Worrall Hill. It has a mile and a half long high street, reputed to be the longest high street of any village in England.
Ruardean is a village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, to the North West of Cinderford. It is situated on a hillside with views west towards the mountains of South Wales. Little now remains of the village's industrial history, but once it was a centre for iron-ore smelting furnaces, forges and coal mines. The Norman castle, now little more than a mound, commanded the shortest route from Gloucester Castle to the Welsh Marches and the Wye Valley.
The GL postcode area, also known as the Gloucester postcode area, is a group of 27 postcode districts in south-west England and a very small part of south-east Wales, within 28 post towns. These cover most of Gloucestershire, including Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester, Tewkesbury, Badminton, Berkeley, Blakeney, Chipping Campden, Cinderford, Coleford, Drybrook, Dursley, Dymock, Fairford, Lechlade, Longhope, Lydbrook, Lydney, Mitcheldean, Moreton-in-Marsh, Newent, Newnham, Ruardean, Stonehouse, Tetbury, Westbury-on-Severn and Wotton-under-Edge. The area also covers very small parts of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, while the GL16 district extends across the Welsh border to cover a very small part of Monmouthshire.
Dene Magna School is a secondary school in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, England. The school takes both girls and boys, and has 1005 pupils aged between 11 and 18, including a sixth form. In 2005, the school was included on Ofsted's "Honours List" of 234 high-achieving schools, and received further positive Ofsted reports in 2008 and 2012. The headteacher is Declan Mooney, who replaced Stephen Brady in September 2024.
Ruardean Woodside is a village in Gloucestershire, England, located in the Forest of Dean and tucked away behind Ruardean Hill and Brierley. There is a primary school and a village hall. The Roebuck was the last of the local pubs to close.
East Dean is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Mitcheldean, in the Forest of Dean district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England.
Harrow Hill is a village situated in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. It is contiguous with the larger village of Drybrook. Originally, the village was known as Harry Hill. "Until fairly recently the village was once called Harry Hill"
The Mitcheldean Road and Forest of Dean Junction Railway was an independent railway company incorporated in 1871, to provide a northerly outlet for iron ore and coal products from the Cinderford and Whimsey area in the Forest of Dean, to the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester Railway line; mineral traffic to industrial centres in South Wales and the Midlands was foreseen.
