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The thriving town of Lydney covers approximately eight square miles, and stands on the north bank of the UK’s longest river, the Severn. There has been a settlement there ever since Roman times - it is thought that Lydney Park was a significant Roman settlement with a temple, bath house and guest house dating back to the 4th century. There is also evidence that the surrounding area has been farmed since the Bronze Age. It has been suggested that the Saxons named the settlement ‘Lydeney’ possibly meaning either ‘Travellers Island’ or ‘broad’, referring to the River Severn.

One of the town’s main features is Lydney Harbour. In 1980, the lower and tidal basins and the connecting lock were classified as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and the rest of the harbour area, which dates from the 1870’s, is a rare and historically important example of an unspoilt 19th century harbour built for sailing ships. Both iron and coal were exported from the Forest, often on ships built using local oak. Until Stuart times, quite large ships were constructed at Lydney, including the 306-ton, 22-gun frigate ‘Forester’ in 1657 and the 620-ton frigate ‘Princess’ in 1660. The town was the home of Sir William Wintour, Admiral of the Fleet of Queen Elizabeth I in 1588, and many of the ships to oppose the Spanish Armada were built here.

The harbour was developed because of Lydney’s importance as a trading centre - it was the last port on the Severn where sea-going boats could load and unload their cargoes. The real expansion of Lydney took place around 1750, when coal production boomed, and the harbour remained very busy during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century. Producing and transporting coal, stone, tinplate and timber and importing china clay and salt, made Lydney a small but thriving port. At its busiest time, the Dock handled in excess of 2000 vessels and 300,000 tons of coal annually. Other industry included chemical works and lime kilns, whilst the colour, and ochre works and brick works were a direct spin off from the mining industry.

Like many other small towns, Lydney suffered a reversal of fortune during the 19th century. By the end of the 1800's the iron smelting furnaces had closed due to foreign competition and a depressed trading market. The Severn and Wye Railway and Canal Company, which built the harbour and basin complex, went bankrupt in 1893. Tinplate manufacture was less profitable, and the coal mining industry was also in decline. In addition, there was increasing competition from Sharpness Docks, after the Severn Railway Bridge was built in 1879. The bridge linked Purton to Sharpness, which did not suffer the tidal problems of Lydney. The gradual decline continued until 1976, when the British Transport Docks Board closed the port by walling in the tidal basin.

Now, however, the Dock area is being redeveloped as a tourist attraction. Dredging and masonry repairs have been carried out to the tidal basin area of the harbour, and the lock and outer harbour gates have been replaced. This is part of a plan that will, eventually, see 80 pleasure craft moored at the site. Footpaths and a road ensure good links with the Docks area to the town centre, and Lydney was recently identified as the Forest town that is most likely to expand over the next few years.

There is, however, much more to Lydney than the Dock. Its excellent transport links have ensured that it is a lively place to both live and work, with a very good range of shops, a leisure centre and sports facilities, as well as a thriving business sector. There are also over 30 pubs, cafes and restaurants, serving a wide variety of meals. Lydney Rugby Club is famous nationally, as well as locally, there is an open-air swimming pool and, of course, the town is surrounded by the Forest of Dean, with its beautiful walks and cycle paths. It’s even possible to view parts of Lydney and the Forest from the comfort of a seat in a restored steam train, courtesy of the Dean Forest Railway. The Tourist Information point in Newerne Street, in the town centre, has much more information about the area.