Ruardean is a village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, to the west of Cinderford. It is situated on a hillside with sights west towards the hills of South Wales. Bit now stays of the village's industrial history, once it was a centre for iron ore smelting furnaces, builds as well as 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 town has actually been, in times past, an important centre of iron and coal mining, though little proof remains of this aspect of the town's history. The main historical landmark of the town is Ruardyn Castle, close to the parish church. In the past the village was meant as Ruardyn as well as belonged to Herefordshire. Nowadays the town lies inside Gloucestershire as well as becomes part of the Forest of Dean area. Like much of the surrounding area, Ruardean has actually historically been fairly inadequate; the 1831 demographics records 127 households, with half the population employed in agriculture as well as 160 people on poor alleviation.