Local history

Explore the Dean Heritage Centre with our free digital guide.

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. As the axe was found on Forestry England-managed land, John contacted staff at Bank House Coleford, who sent the axe to Cotswold Archaeology for identification and treatment. The axe head has lain in the ground for over 3,000 years. Bronze is an alloy of copper with about 10% tin. The axe is a palsta

Our Traditional Charcoal Burn is back again for the Early May Bank Holiday, 2nd of May until the 4th.

Exhibition and events featuring British big cat artwork in the gallery, & big cat activities in the Centre’s grounds

A new collection of poems by nineteenth-century Forest of Dean poet Catherine Drew is set to be published, bringing together works that have been scattered across archives and private collections for generations. Born in 1784 and the mother of eight children, Catherine Drew became known as “The Forest Poetess.” Her writing offers a rare and vivid perspective on the dramatic changes that reshaped the Forest of Dean during the Industrial Revolution, as coal and iron industries

Find out about our new trail

Find out about dean heritage centre's exciting news!

Find out about our upcoming exhibition

Find out about our new display on the Pyrke Collection.

We have a temporary display in Gallery 1 showcasing some fascinating objects from World War I and World War II that have been donated to the centre. Here is a look at some of the display.

Mark your calendars, Heritage Open Day is coming up on the 17th of September! Heritage Open Day is an annual celebration of England's...

Thanks to the volunteers on the May Bank Holiday, who were in charge of the Charcoal Burn on-site. The Charcoal is now available to buy...

We have discovered Catherine Drew poems in the collection that we did not know were there!