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. This is one of 361 LAD 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.
Forest of Dean Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Forest of Dean local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Forest of Dean can also 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
Forest of Dean is divided into 1 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
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. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
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.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Forest of Dean
Below is a list of post towns in Forest of Dean, grouped by postcode area:
- GL ▸ Blakeney (GL15) ⁞ Cinderford (GL14) ⁞ Coleford (GL16) ⁞ Drybrook (GL17) ⁞ Dymock (GL18) ⁞ Longhope (GL17) ⁞ Lydbrook (GL17) ⁞ Lydney (GL15) ⁞ Mitcheldean (GL17) ⁞ Newent (GL18) ⁞ Newnham (GL14) ⁞ Ruardean (GL17) ⁞ Westbury-on-Severn (GL14)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
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.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Forest of Dean Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
TfW Rail ▸ Lydney (GL15 5EW)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
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)
Population and Migration Trends in Forest of Dean
This chart shows the population trend for Forest of Dean from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Forest of Dean can be found on the ONS statistics for Forest of Dean.