Cinderford

The name Cinderford, used for a crossing-point, is recorded as early as 1258. The name reflects the site of early ironmaking which created deposits of cinders (clinker), sometimes in large mounds. Following the construction of Cinderford Ironworks in the late 1790s, and the opening of large mines nearby, the town was laid out on a fairly conventional urban plan. In 1841 there were two inns and at least ten beerhouses in and around Cinderford. A new church was consecrated at Cinderford in 1844 and dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. By 1843 Cinderford also had a Baptist church which became by far the largest Baptist meeting in the Forest of Dean. Methodists and Primitive Methodists also had chapels in the area, and there was even an iron building which became known as the Ark, which was registered in 1886 by a group called the Blue Ribbon Gospel Army.Cinderford Town Trail has been created and researched by school pupils to celebrate the history of the town. ==Governance==

There are two electoral wards in Cinderford. ==Education==

Primary Cinderford has three primary schools; Steam Mills Primary School, on Steam Mills Road, St. White's Primary School, on St. Whites Road, and Forest View Primary School based on Latimer Road. Forest View Primary School is an amalgamation of the Latimer Junior School and the Bilson Infants' School (formerly on Station Street). Secondary Cinderford has a single, relatively small secondary school on Causeway Road, currently called The Forest High School but previously known as Heywood Community School. The school existed as Double View Secondary Modern School on a previous campus, on Woodville Road, but moved to the Causeway Road campus, in the early-mid-1970s. Until 1979 it was split between the two sites; in the mid-1980s it changed its name from Double View to Heywood Community School, and in 2012 it became an academy called Forest E-ACT Academy. The name changed again to Forest Academy in 2014 and to the current name in 2015. Tertiary Opened in 2018, Gloucestershire College is situated beside the Forest Vale Industrial Estate. ==Transport==

Cinderford's High Street and Belle Vue Road lie on the A4151, which links with the A48 (Gloucester-Chepstow road) to the east. In former times, Cinderford had a railway station that was opened by the Severn and Wye Railway and later run by the Great Western Railway and Midland Railway as Cinderford Joint railway station, but this was axed in 1958. Cinderford is served by a regular bus service to Gloucester and Coleford; the bus station was dismantled in the late 1980s and no longer exists. The closest airports are in Staverton (between Gloucester and Cheltenham), as well as Bristol Airport and Cardiff Airport. ==Religion==

The Church of England Benefice of Cinderford with Littledean consists of three parish churches. The parish church of St Stephen's covers the central town and northern parts of Cinderford. The parish church of St John the Evangelist covers the south of Cinderford, Ruspidge and Soudley. The parish church of St Ethelbert's Littledean is further down the hill and serves the community there. ==Media==

Dean Radio is a community station that broadcasts from the town. The town is served by the local newspaper, The Forester. ==Sports clubs==

• Cinderford Town A.F.C. - Local Non-League football team • Cinderford R.F.C. - Local Rugby Team ==Notable people==

• Dame Muriel Betty Powell (1914–1978), Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for the Scottish Home and Health Department, was born in Cinderford. • Jimmy Young (1921–2016), a BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2 DJ, was born in Cinderford. • John McAfee (1945 – 2021), computer programmer, businessman, and two-time U.S. presidential candidate, was born in Cinderford. • Leonard Clark (1905 - 1981) Poet, writer, editor and educator. ==References==