Ruardean is a town in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, to the west of Cinderford. It is positioned on a hillside with sights west in the direction of the hills of South Wales. Little bit currently continues to be of the village's commercial background, once it was a centre for iron ore smelting heaters, forges and coal mines. The Norman castle, now little bit more than a mound, regulated the shortest route from Gloucester Castle to the Welsh Marches as well as the Wye Valley. The village has been, in times past, an essential centre of iron and coal mining, however little evidence remains of this facet of the village's background. The primary historical landmark of the town is Ruardyn Castle, close to the parish church. In the past the village was led to as Ruardyn and belonged to Herefordshire. Nowadays the village lies inside Gloucestershire and belongs to the Forest of Dean district. Like much of the surrounding area, Ruardean has traditionally been fairly poor; the 1831 census documents 127 households, with half the populace employed in agriculture as well as 160 individuals on poor relief.
