The Forest of Dean Writers Collection is a two-year collaborative project between the Dean Heritage Centre and University of Gloucestershire, working to establish a unique collection of literary papers from Forest of Dean authors spanning over 200 years. The Forest of Dean, while known primarily for its landscape and industry, has also long been a place of creativity and literary heritage.

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The project, which was awarded £133,873 by the National Heritage Lottery Fund in 2023, has seen over 1000 individual literary objects and documents added to the Dean Heritage Centre's collection. Playscripts, draft manuscripts, poems, photographs, letters, notebooks, children’s stories and works of art are just some of the objects that have been carefully conserved and catalogued by our fantastic team of local volunteers who have (as of November 2024) dedicated over 460 hours to the project.

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Among the unique material making up the new collection are previously unknown poems by ‘Forest Poetess’ Catherine Drew (1784-1867); work by poet, biographer and literary editor Leonard Clark OBE (1905-1981); a never-before seen novel by Valerie Grosvenor Myer (1935-2007) better known as an academic and biographer; a memoir by former collier and farmer Fred Boughton (1897-1985) written in Forest dialect with parallel ‘Queen’s English’ translation; Forest Dialect playscripts and artworks by playwright and humourist Harry Beddington.

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The project is also working with two local schools to develop new teaching materials, engaging young people with the lives and work of these fascinating local writers.

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Some of the star items from the new collection are being shown in exhibitions at Forest libraries, and others are already on show at the Dean Heritage Centre.  

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Lists of Works

Click here to download a list of documents relating to Ralph Anstis

Click here to download a list of documents relating to Fred Boughton

Click here to download a list of documents relating to Catherine Drew

Click here to download a list of documents relating to Gladys Duberley

Click here to download a list of documents relating to Valerie Grosvenor Myer

Click here to download a list of documents relating to the MINTEC Players

Click here to download a list of documents relating to the Ruardean Drama Group

 

We are currently in the process of cataloguing materials relating to other Forest authors, including Leonard Clark, Harry Beddington, F.W. Harvey and Humphrey Phelps. Lists of documents for these authors will be made available when fully catalogued. If you would like to enquire about these items, please get in touch.

 

You are welcome to view the Forest of Dean Writers Collection, but you need to make an appointment in advance. For enquiries about the Forest of Dean Writers Collection please contact the Collections Officer Nicola Wynn email Nicola@deanheritagecentre.com