Forest of Dean Railway on a contiguous line built by the GWR. Newnham was the main line junction station, although some branch trains ran through to Gloucester. As motor bus services became dominant, the passenger services became unprofitable and they were withdrawn in 1958. The network was closed completely in 1967 as mineral traffic ceased. The Forest of Dean Coalfield had long been a source of mineral working, for iron ore and coal. Free Miners had statutory rights in the Forest, which protected them from external competition. However this limited the extent to which large scale operations could be undertaken. A number of short
Bradon Forest School Bradon Forest School Bradon Forest School is a mixed secondary school in Purton (near Swindon) in the English county of Wiltshire. In September 2015 the school converted to academy status and is now part of the Athelstan Academy Trust, which also includes Malmesbury School in Malmesbury and The Dean Academy in Lydney. The headteacher of Bradon Forest School is Julie Dickson. The school was established in 1962 as Bradon Forest Secondary School, initially with accommodation for 390 pupils. By 2016 there were 856 enrolled. Actress Billie Piper once attended the school, as did footballers Matthew Mills and former Swindon Town