Dean Heritage Centre

01/06/2026

Object of the month 🔍 - Lightmoor Beam Engine

Beam engines transformed coal mining in the 19th and 20th centuries. This type of engine made large-scale deep mining possible.

In the Forest of Dean, these advances led to the replacement of small drift mines with large industrial collieries. Lightmoor Colliery opened in 1832 and was owned by Henry Crawshay & Co. Ltd. In 1899, it was one of the largest collieries in the Forest, employing more than 600 men.

The Lightmoor Beam Engine was built on the site of the Dean Heritage Centre in the early 1820s. It remained in use at Lightmoor Colliery until its closure in 1940. The engine was then dismantled and sent to the National Museum of Wales. It later returned to the Forest and was restored for display at the Dean Heritage Centre. It is the only surviving example of those used in the Forest.

ℹ️Plan your next visit here - https://www.deanheritagecentre.org/visit-us

31/05/2026

Before you step into the deep, dark woods, head over to the Gift shop to get some Gruffalo Goods! 🐾🌲

The Heritage Gift Shop is full of Gruffalo goodies from cuddly characters to stationery, it's perfect for little adventurers (and big fans too).

Pop by and see what you can find… but watch out for that Gruffalo! 👀

The Gift Shop is open every day 10:00-17:00
Find out more - https://www.deanheritagecentre.org/heritage-gift-shop

30/05/2026

Over the past two years, the Forest of Dean Writers Collection has amassed a huge number of papers and ephemera relating to Forest poets and authors. The new collection at the Dean Heritage Centre covers nearly two hundred years.

The 'Beyond the Books' exhibition will be showcasing just some of the treasures in this vast new collection of over 1,000 individual items. As well as original manuscripts and early drafts, notebooks, play scripts, and never-before-seen poems and novels. Interpretation panels explore the authors' life and work, as well as focusing on themes such as the Forest of Dean, nature, and Forest dialect.

The Exhibition will be on display in Gallery 41 from the 16th of May until the 30th of August.

ℹ️Find out more here - https://www.deanheritagecentre.org/event-details-registration/beyond-the-books-exhibition

30/05/2026

REMEMBERING THE 1926 MINERS STRIKE
It is 100 years since the General Strike and Miners' Strike of 1926. The 1926 General Strike was a nine-day nationwide walkout in the UK from 3-12 May, called by the TUC (Trades Union Congress) to support over one million coal miners facing wage cuts and longer hours. Although the TUC called off the General Strike, the miners continued striking for seven more months before they had no choice but to return to work or starve.

Forest of Dean miners fought hard for better working conditions and pay. Miners and their families faced severe poverty and hardship but managed to survive several months through determination and community solidarity.

Today we held a day of talks and discussion exploring the impact of the Miners Strike on the Forest of Dean and the wider context. Thank you very much to speakers and contributors, Nigel Costley, Ian Wright, Tony Conder, Graham Morgan, Matt Jenkins and Maggie Clutterbuck and thanks to everyone who came.

ITV came to the Forest to cover the strike. Thanks to Reporter Max Walsh, here's the clip if you missed it:

Watch the latest from ITV News - Beginning at one minute to midnight on 3 May 1926, the General Strike was called by the Trade Union of Congress in support of striking miners.

30/05/2026

We are looking for Front of house volunteers for our morning and afternoon shifts here at the Dean Heritage Centre.
If you're interested in joining our team of volunteers please contact [email protected]

29/05/2026

Incredible Bronze Age Find! 🔎

Local resident John Smith recently made an extraordinary discovery while walking his dog in woodland near Brierley: a Bronze Age axe head, found among the roots of a fallen tree.

Forestry England sent the axe to Cotswold Archaeology for identification and conservation. It is believed to have been buried for around 3,000 years.
The axe head is now on display in Gallery 1 of the museum for visitors to see.

Thank you to John and Forest of Dean - Forestry England for such a fantastic find!

ℹ️Plan your next visit to the centre here - https://www.deanheritagecentre.org/visit-us

28/05/2026

Get a closer look at local history with our Museum Gallery Tours, led by our knowledgeable volunteer guides.

Our free guided tours run weekly during term time:
Tuesdays at 11:00 & 14:00
Thursdays at 11:30 & 13:30

ℹ️Find out more - https://www.deanheritagecentre.org/event-details-registration/free-museum-gallery-tours-2026-04-30-11-30

27/05/2026

Object of the month 🔍 - Carboniferous Fossils

The Carboniferous Period (359–299 million years ago), takes its name from the vast reserves of coal formed during this time. It was a world where giant dragonfly-like insects filled the air and early reptiles emerged.

Around 300 million years ago, the Forest of Dean was a warm and humid place, covered with forests and swamps. This climate provided the conditions for towering ferns, horsetails and clubmosses to grow. When these plants died, they accumulated in the swamps and formed thick layers of peat. Over millions of years, successive layers of sediment, along with the remains of marine life, built up and compressed the peat. This process transformed it into coal and preserved ancient plant and animal remains as fossils.

Coal mining in the Forest of Dean created large spoil heaps and within them many fossils have been found. On display in the museum are fossils including Stigmaria, the root-like structures of the extinct giant clubmoss trees Lepidodendron and Sigillaria; and Calamites, the fossilised stems of ancient tree-sized horsetails, alongside their leaf whorls, known as Annularia.

These fossils were discovered in former Forest collieries such as Lightmoor, Foxes Bridge and Eastern United.

Plan your next visit to the museum - https://www.deanheritagecentre.org/visit-us

27/05/2026

REMEMBERING THE 1926 MINERS STRIKE
Sat 30th May 10.30-3

It is 100 years since the General Strike and Miners' Strike of 1926. The 1926 General Strike was a nine-day nationwide walkout in the UK from 3-12 May, called by the TUC (Trades Union Congress) to support over one million coal miners facing wage cuts and longer hours. Although the TUC called off the General Strike, the miners continued striking for seven more months before they had no choice but to return to work or starve.

Forest of Dean miners fought hard for better working conditions and pay. Miners and their families faced severe poverty and hardship but managed to survive several months through determination and community solidarity.

We will hold a day of talks and discussion exploring the impact of the Miners Strike on the Forest of Dean and the wider context.

Still a few tickets left book online on DHC website what's on page or by phone
www.deanheritagecentre.org

26/05/2026

Take a little piece of the forest home with you. Our souvenirs are the perfect reminder of your visit to the Dean Heritage Centre and Forest of Dean. 💚🌲

The Heritage Gift Shop is open every day, 10:00-17:00.

Every pound you spend in the gift shop helps to support our aim to preserve the heritage, culture and history of the Forest of Dean.