Forest of Dean
§ This page gives an overview of the Forest of Dean local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ The Forest of Dean, in western Gloucestershire, is a district defined by its ancient woodland, valleys, and rivers. The forest itself, once a royal hunting ground, covers a large part of the area and offers trails, caves, and wildlife. Towns such as Coleford, Cinderford, and Lydney serve as gateways, with Lydney providing access to the River Severn and its estuary views. The district also includes historic sites such as Clearwell Caves and Tintern Abbey nearby. Its landscape is a mix of wooded hills, limestone gorges, and riverside scenery.
The administrative boundary of Forest of Dean can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Forest of Dean.
Key Facts about Forest of Dean
What region is Forest of Dean in? Forest of Dean is in the South West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Forest of Dean in? Forest of Dean is located in the county of Gloucestershire.
Is Forest of Dean a city? No, Forest of Dean is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Forest of Dean? The local authority for this district is: Forest of Dean District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Gloucestershire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Gloucestershire County Council.
▶ Official website of Forest of Dean District Council 🔗 fdean.gov.uk
Which police force covers Forest of Dean? Policing in Forest of Dean is provided by Gloucestershire Constabulary 🔗 gloucestershire.police.uk, which serves 6 local authority districts: Cheltenham ⁞ Cotswold ⁞ Forest of Dean ⁞ Gloucester ⁞ Stroud ⁞ Tewkesbury.
Constituencies in Forest of Dean
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean is divided into 21 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Berry Hill
- Bream
- Cinderford East
- Cinderford West
- Coleford
- Dymock
- Hartpury & Redmarley
- Longhope & Huntley
- Lydbrook
- Lydney East
- Lydney North
- Lydney West & Aylburton
- Mitcheldean, Ruardean & Drybrook
- Newent & Taynton
- Newland & Sling
- Newnham
- Pillowell
- Ruspidge
- St. Briavels
- Tidenham
- Westbury-on-Severn
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean is fully parished: 41 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Alvington
- Awre
- Aylburton
- Blaisdon
- Bromesberrow
- Churcham
- Cinderford
- Coleford
- Corse
- Drybrook
- Dymock
- English Bicknor
- Gorsley and Kilcot
- Hartpury
- Hewelsfield and Brockweir
- Huntley
- Kempley
- Littledean
- Longhope
- Lydbrook
- Lydney
- Mitcheldean
- Newent
- Newland
- Newnham
- Oxenhall
- Pauntley
- Redmarley D'Abitot
- Ruardean
- Rudford and Highleadon
- Ruspidge and Soudley
- St. Briavels
- Staunton
- Staunton Coleford
- Taynton
- Tibberton
- Tidenham
- Upleadon
- West Dean
- Westbury-on-Severn
- Woolaston
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean covers 46 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Alvington
- Aylburton
- Beachley
- Berry Hill
- Blakeney (Forest of Dean)
- Botloe's Green
- Bream
- Broadwell and Coalway
- Bromesberrow Heath
- Cinderford
- Clearwell
- Clifford's Mesne *
- Coleford (Forest of Dean)
- Corse
- Drybrook
- Dymock
- Gorsley Common *
- Hartpury
- Huntley
- Littledean
- Longhope
- Lower Redbrook *
- Lydney
- May Hill Village
- Milkwall
- Mitcheldean
- Moor End *
- Newent
- Newnham (Forest of Dean)
- Northwood Green
- Pope's Hill
- Redmarley D'Abitot
- Rodley
- Ruardean
- Ruardean Woodside
- Ruspidge
- Sling
- St Briavels
- Symonds Yat West *
- The Scarr
- Tibberton (Forest of Dean)
- Tutshill and Sedbury
- Welsh Bicknor
- Woodcroft
- Woolaston
- Yorkley and Whitecroft
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Forest of Dean.)
Forest of Dean compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Forest of Dean compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Forest of Dean has 21 electoral wards.
Forest of Dean has a population of 89,753 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Forest of Dean can be found on the ONS statistics for Forest of Dean.