Dean Heritage Centre

Dean Heritage Centre is a museum and industrial heritage centre in the valley of Soudley, in the heart of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. It exists to record and preserve the social and industrial history of the area and of the people who lived and worked here.

What is the Dean Heritage Centre?

The centre is both an indoor museum and an outdoor site. Its core is the museum itself, but around it you will find a millpond with a waterwheel, a forester's cottage with a garden and animals, art and craft exhibitions and workshops, and trails running through the surrounding woodland. It sits on roughly five acres, which makes it easy to combine a museum visit with a walk outdoors.

What is the history of the centre?

The Dean Heritage Museum Trust was founded in 1979, after growing concern that the heritage of the Forest of Dean was disappearing fast. The trust took over a former corn mill, Camp Mill, and opened the museum there in 1983. A major refurbishment funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund was completed in 2003, giving the displays their present form.

What can you see inside?

The museum is arranged in five galleries that follow the story of the Forest through time, from its early geological and fossil record to more recent history. The collections cover the everyday and working life of Forest communities, including the mining and industrial traditions that shaped the landscape.

Among the displays are:

• a reconstructed forester's cottage, with its garden and animals outside;
• a replica free mine, showing the kind of underground work for which the Forest is known;
• a Victorian school classroom;
• art and craft exhibitions and workshops.

What else is there to do?

Outdoors, the millpond and waterwheel are a pleasant stop, and woodland trails lead from the centre into the surrounding forest. Families will find an adventure playground, picnic tables and barbecue hearths. After your visit you can browse the gift shop, which sells local produce, or eat at the Heritage Kitchen, a restaurant serving home-made food.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Dean Heritage Centre? In the valley of Soudley, within the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The coordinates are roughly 51.793, -2.488.

Is it suitable for children? Yes. Between the animals at the forester's cottage, the adventure playground, the woodland trails and the hands-on feel of the replica mine and school classroom, there is plenty to keep children busy.

Can I eat there? Yes. The Heritage Kitchen offers home-made food, and there are picnic tables and barbecue hearths for those who bring their own.

How long should I plan for? The five galleries, the cottage and the outdoor areas can fill a relaxed half day, longer if you add a woodland walk.

What is the main theme? The social and industrial history of the Forest of Dean and its people, told through museum galleries, reconstructions and the buildings and grounds of the site itself.