Ruardean
Ruardean is a village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, to the west of Cinderford. It is positioned on a hill with views west towards the mountains of South Wales. Little bit now continues to be of the village's commercial history, once it was a centre for iron ore smelting furnaces, builds as well as coal mines. The Norman castle, currently bit more than a mound, commanded the shortest route from Gloucester Castle to the Welsh Marches as well as the Wye Valley. The village has actually been, in times past, an important centre of iron and also coal mining, however little proof remains of this element of the village's history. The major historic site of the village is Ruardyn Castle, close to the parish church. In the past the town was spelt as Ruardyn and also was part of Herefordshire. Nowadays the village exists inside Gloucestershire as well as is part of the Forest of Dean area. Like much of the bordering location, Ruardean has traditionally been relatively poor; the 1831 demographics records 127 family members, with half the population used in farming and also 160 people on poor alleviation.
