Bream, Gloucestershire
Encyclopedia
Bream is a village in the Forest of Dean
, west Gloucestershire
, England
.
. Iron ore was being mined here by Celts before the Romans came so the miners may have built shelters on the present site of the village.
The first dwellings in Bream were recorded in 1452. In 1505, the St. James' church, Bream or St. James chapel as it was then known, was built. In 1712, the population of Bream was 300.
In 1822, the church was reconstructed.
Today the population
of the village has grown to over 3,000, with new houses that have
been built in the last thirty years.
The main employment in the village in the past was coal mining
, farming, and forestry
. Today with the mines closed, there is very little employment now in the village, although there are three garages and several shops. Bream is one of the largest villages in the Forest of Dean District with a population of 2,600 in January 2000. It is just one of a number of settlements which make up the Forest Ring of settlements on the fringes of the statutory Royal Forest
. Positioned on the southern edge of the forest core between the towns of Lydney
and Coleford
, the village is set on a ridge of high ground, falling away on three sides.
team with rugby pitches and members bar, and a cricket
club with pitches and members bar.
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
, west Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The actual age of Bream is not known, although there may have been a settlement before the Romans came to BritainRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
. Iron ore was being mined here by Celts before the Romans came so the miners may have built shelters on the present site of the village.
The first dwellings in Bream were recorded in 1452. In 1505, the St. James' church, Bream or St. James chapel as it was then known, was built. In 1712, the population of Bream was 300.
In 1822, the church was reconstructed.
Today the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of the village has grown to over 3,000, with new houses that have
been built in the last thirty years.
The main employment in the village in the past was coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, farming, and forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
. Today with the mines closed, there is very little employment now in the village, although there are three garages and several shops. Bream is one of the largest villages in the Forest of Dean District with a population of 2,600 in January 2000. It is just one of a number of settlements which make up the Forest Ring of settlements on the fringes of the statutory Royal Forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
. Positioned on the southern edge of the forest core between the towns of Lydney
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
and Coleford
Coleford, Gloucestershire
Coleford is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England in the west of the Forest of Dean with a population of 8,351 . It is situated some four miles east of the Welsh border, and is close to the Wye Valley, a popular walking and canoeing area...
, the village is set on a ridge of high ground, falling away on three sides.
Population
Bream is one of the largest villages within the Forest of Dean, having a population in 2008 of 3,000.Shops, services and amenities
Bream has shops and services.- General shops are a farm and pet supplies store, an arts and crafts store, motoring parts shop, florist, general DIY/gardening store, convenience storeConvenience storeA convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
, furniture shop, butchers shop, newsagentNewsagentA newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
s, pharmacyPharmacyPharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, hairdressing and beauty salonBeauty salonA beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment dealing with cosmetic treatments for men and women...
and a pet grooming salon,
- Eating places are a fish and chipsFish and chipsFish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
shop, take awayTake-outTake-out or takeout , carry-out , take-away , parcel , or tapau , is food purchased at a...
and a Chinese takeawayChinese cuisineChinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
.
- Services are a post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, website designer http://www.karllewis.co.uk, two public housePublic houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s, two mechanic garages, library, village hallVillage hallIn the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
, car sales and filling station, stonemason and a funeral director,
- There is a Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
primary school,
- There are also a few pubs and bed and breakfastBed and breakfastA bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
s. The most notable bed and breakfast being Lindum House.
Sport
Bream has a rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team with rugby pitches and members bar, and a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club with pitches and members bar.
Notable residents
- Warren JamesWarren JamesWarren James is a British jeweller and watchmaker. Established in 1979, the company now has 115 stores and is one of the largest independent jewellers in the United Kingdom....
(1792–1841) - Miners' leader who led the Foresters to action against the Crown, in 1831. Lived in Bream. - Wayne BarnesWayne BarnesWayne Barnes is an English international rugby union referee. He was educated at Whitecross School in Lydney, where he was head boy, Monmouth School and at the University of East Anglia. He became a professional referee in April 2005, giving up a career in law to do so...
(born 1979) - International rugby union referee. Lived in Bream and played for Bream Rugby Club. - William "Billy" StoneWilliam Stone (rugby league)William "Billy" J. Stone is an English former professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s who at representative level has played for Great Britain, and England, and at club level for Hull, playing at , or , i.e...
- Former professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s who played for Great BritainGreat Britain national rugby league teamThe Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
, EnglandEngland national rugby league teamThe England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
, and Hull Kingston RoversHull Kingston RoversHull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
. Lived in Bream.