Ruardean is a village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, to the west of Cinderford. It is located on a hillside with views west towards the hills of South Wales. Little bit currently stays of the village's commercial history, but once it was a centre for iron ore smelting heaters, builds and also coal mines. The Norman castle, now little bit more than a pile, commanded the shortest route from Gloucester Castle to the Welsh Marches and the Wye Valley. The town has actually been, in times past, a crucial centre of iron and coal mining, though little proof remains of this element of the town's background. The main historic landmark of the town is Ruardyn Castle, near to the parish church. In the past the village was spelt as Ruardyn and was part of Herefordshire. Nowadays the village lies inside Gloucestershire as well as is part of the Forest of Dean district. Like much of the surrounding area, Ruardean has historically been fairly inadequate; the 1831 census records 127 families, with half the populace employed in agriculture as well as 160 individuals on poor relief.