ABOUT NEWENT

Newent is the largest town in northwest Gloucestershire and situated north of the capital, Gloucester and surrounded by local towns of Ledbury, Dymock, and Ross-on-Wye. Providing the town with excellent communication links, perhaps accounting for the vast numbers of residents and businesses locating here both past and present.

Newent is certainly one of the most attractive towns in the Forest of Dean area. It is a thriving, unspoilt market town with a wide range of attractions for the shopper and visitor. Many of the buildings date from the 13th century, and centrepiece of the town is the Old Market Hall, which was built in 1668.

The area around Newent has long been known for its wild daffodils, which grow naturally in the woods and meadows around the town. Within living memory, they grew in such profusion that school children picked flowers to be sent to hospitals as far away as London. The Great Western railway used to put on special trains to Newent for people to come and pick the daffodils!

Nowadays, being more conservation minded, we come to look at their beauty, and picking of the flowers is not encouraged.

Newent (originally called "Noent") with its population of around 4,700, is about 8 miles north west of Gloucester City, on the northern edge of the Royal Forest of Dean, and lying within the Forest of Dean Local Authority District. The town includes a half timbered market house, other houses of historical nature, and a small Victorian museum containing a replica of a 19th century street called The Shambles.