Dean Heritage Centre

About the museum

The Dean Heritage Museum Trust was set up as a registered charity in 1979 out of concern that the heritage of the Forest of Dean was fading. In 1981 the Trust acquired the Camp Mill site at Soudley, and the museum opened to the public in 1983.

The mill site has a history of almost four hundred years. It was used for an iron forge from about 1612 to 1674, an iron foundry from 1823 to 1876, a corn mill, a leather board factory, a sawmill and finally a scrap metal yard that closed in 1981. The remains of this working past form part of the displays, which also hold rails, wheels, mileposts and other items from the Forest's mining and ironmaking era.

Today the centre is an accredited museum that tells the story of the Forest of Dean, its communities and its industries in several galleries. Its collections include the Dennis Potter Archive, the Forest of Dean Writers Collection and recorded oral histories. Outside there is a five-acre site with a woodland trail, picnic benches and the Gruffalo Trail, a family walk through the trees. A heritage coffee shop and a gift shop are on site. The centre depends on visitor income and donations, and its museum, grounds, shop and coffee shop are currently free to enter while the centre is being redeveloped.

Highlights

• Galleries on the people, industries and landscape of the Forest of Dean
• Dennis Potter Archive and Forest of Dean Writers Collection
• Forest oral histories
• Gruffalo Trail through the woodland
• Former mill site with almost 400 years of industrial history

Permanent exhibition

• Forest of Dean museum galleries – Galleries on the people, industries and landscape of the Forest of Dean, with objects from the mill site's iron foundry and mining era.

Founded

1983

Operated by

Dean Heritage Museum Trust (registered charity)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry to the museum and the five-acre site is currently free while the centre is being redeveloped; no end date is given. A voluntary donation of £5 per family or couple is suggested. The coffee shop can be visited without paying admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Wheelchair access covers the entrance, the shop, galleries 1, 2, 3 and 5, the Victorian school room, the coffee shop and the woodland path including the Gruffalo Trail. Gallery 4 is not accessible to wheelchair users. A gently sloping wide ramp links the ground floor with the second floor. Paths are stony and woodland paths can be muddy after rain. Accessible toilets are in the museum and the coffee shop, and there are disabled parking spaces and a drop-off point by the coffee shop. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere. A British Sign Language video tour is available, and tablets can be borrowed on site.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

The Gruffalo Trail is a family walk in the woodland. Seasonal family events such as pumpkin carving and an apple day are listed in the events calendar.

Getting there & parking

The centre asks visitors to check its Facebook page for road closures and traffic updates before travelling.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Heritage Coffee Shop and Heritage Gift Shop. Visitors may bring their own food and drink and use the picnic benches. Dogs are allowed in the coffee shop and gift shop but not in the museum or on the Gruffalo Trail.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit