Drybrook
Encyclopedia
Drybrook is a village
and civil parish
in the Forest of Dean
in west Gloucestershire
, England.
, about three miles from Cinderford
, and about two miles from Mitcheldean
.
, Drybrook had a population of 2,855. This includes 1,391 men and 1,464 women. There are 1,146 households in the village.
, chemist
, general stores, hairdresser
, post office
, fish and chips
shop, builder's merchant, doctor's surgery, nursery school, primary school, two garages, public house
, off-licence, and a bus
service to Gloucester
and surrounding areas.
The nearest secondary school
is Dene Magna School, which is in Mitcheldean. Drybrook is also renowned for its rugby
club, which is at the top of the High Street, and it also has a football club up Harrow Hill
. Among the villages in the Forest of Dean, Drybrook has been voted one of the best villages to live in, for its scenery and leisure. There are about 3,000 people living in Drybrook.
, which is in Abenhall
, by Mitcheldean
. Dene Magna Community School
is about 1 mile from Drybrook.
, where the so-called legend of the black panther
and the white deer
roamed. Unfortunately, the white deer was killed after being hit down and then trophy hunters
cut off its head, but the police have not caught the person responsible. Drybrook also had a good supply of coal
and stone
. As Drybrook grew, so did its boundary
, and it grew to include a small village called Harrow Hill (or as most locals call it, Harry Hill). The village's first modern church, The Holy Trinity
Church, was built on Harrow Hill in 1817. The church's location is on the way to Mitcheldean.
. It has been called "a unique collection of mechanical music spanning the last 150 years, hidden away on the edge of the Forest of Dean. Mechanical organ
s, polyphon
s, pianola, automatic piano
, electric organ
s & musical box
es".
has been known for warm summers and cold winters. Some of the extremes that have been recorded in Drybrook are 36.6°C in August 2005 and -14°C in January 2010. Snow and rain have also been a problem in the village: for example, in the winter of 2005, six inches of snow fell in a few hours, causing horrific traffic problems. And the Gloucestershire Floods of 2007 were also a major problem for the village too. The averages are pretty much normal for Drybrook as they would be for most of the south of England, but in the winter it may change as Drybrook is on higher ground than other towns and cities surrounding the area. For example, in January, the average low temperature in Drybrook is 3°C but in Gloucester
the average low temperature is 7°C.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Forest of Dean
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...
in 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.
Location
It lies near the middle of the Royal ForestRoyal 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...
, about three miles from Cinderford
Cinderford
Cinderford is a small town on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. A population of 8,116 people is recorded in the 2001 census....
, and about two miles from Mitcheldean
Mitcheldean
Mitcheldean is a small town in the east of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England.-History:Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to iron ore deposits...
.
Population
In the 2001 censusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Drybrook had a population of 2,855. This includes 1,391 men and 1,464 women. There are 1,146 households in the village.
Amenities
The village has a range of amenities, including a butcherButcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
, chemist
Pharmacy
Pharmacy 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...
, general stores, hairdresser
Hairdresser
Hairdresser is a term referring to anyone whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques...
, post office
Post office
A 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...
, fish and chips
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
shop, builder's merchant, doctor's surgery, nursery school, primary school, two garages, public house
Public house
A 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...
, off-licence, and a bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service to Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
and surrounding areas.
The nearest secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
is Dene Magna School, which is in Mitcheldean. Drybrook is also renowned for its rugby
Rugby 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...
club, which is at the top of the High Street, and it also has a football club up Harrow Hill
Harrow Hill, Gloucestershire
For the area of north west London see Harrow on the HillHarrow Hill is a village situated in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. It is contiguous with the larger village of Drybrook. The village has its own football club, Harrow Hill F.C....
. Among the villages in the Forest of Dean, Drybrook has been voted one of the best villages to live in, for its scenery and leisure. There are about 3,000 people living in Drybrook.
Drybrook School and Dene Magna
Drybrook School, which is the village's only school, is a primary school for students of ages 4 years through 11 years. The nearest secondary school is Dene Magna Community SchoolDene Magna Community School
Dene Magna Community School is a secondary foundation school in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, England, previously known as Abenhall Comprehensive School. The school is mixed, and has 745 pupils aged between 11 and 16. In 2005, the school was awarded a place on Ofsted's "Honours List" of 234...
, which is in Abenhall
Abenhall
Abenhall is a small village in the English county of Gloucestershire, lying on the road between Mitcheldean and Flaxley in the Forest of Dean. The parish includes the settlement of Plump Hill, which is actually more populous than Abenhall itself, and was once part of the Hundred of St Briavels...
, by Mitcheldean
Mitcheldean
Mitcheldean is a small town in the east of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England.-History:Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to iron ore deposits...
. Dene Magna Community School
Dene Magna Community School
Dene Magna Community School is a secondary foundation school in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, England, previously known as Abenhall Comprehensive School. The school is mixed, and has 745 pupils aged between 11 and 16. In 2005, the school was awarded a place on Ofsted's "Honours List" of 234...
is about 1 mile from Drybrook.
Drybrook
Drybrook is also known as a royal hunting groundRoyal 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...
, where the so-called legend of the black panther
Black panther
A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...
and the white deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
roamed. Unfortunately, the white deer was killed after being hit down and then trophy hunters
Trophy hunting
Trophy hunting is the selective hunting of wild game animals. Although parts of the slain animal may be kept as a hunting trophy or memorial , the carcass itself is sometimes used as food....
cut off its head, but the police have not caught the person responsible. Drybrook also had a good supply of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and stone
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
. As Drybrook grew, so did its boundary
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
, and it grew to include a small village called Harrow Hill (or as most locals call it, Harry Hill). The village's first modern church, The Holy Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
Church, was built on Harrow Hill in 1817. The church's location is on the way to Mitcheldean.
Mechanical Organ Museum
The Mechanical Organ Museum is situated at the north end of the village, on the road to Lea and Ross-on-WyeRoss-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye is a small market town with a population of 10,089 in southeastern Herefordshire, England, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.-History:...
. It has been called "a unique collection of mechanical music spanning the last 150 years, hidden away on the edge of the Forest of Dean. Mechanical organ
Mechanical organ
A mechanical organ is an organ that is self playing, rather than played by a musician.Usually, mechanical organs are pipe organs although some instruments were built using reeds similar to those found in a harmonium. Since the 1950s, some instruments have been built using electronics to generate...
s, polyphon
Polyphony (instrument)
Polyphony Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophonic.-Synthesizer:Most of early synthesizers were monophonic musical instruments which can play only one note at a time, and are often called monosynth as opposed to polysynth...
s, pianola, automatic piano
Player piano
A player piano is a self-playing piano, containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism that operates the piano action via pre-programmed music perforated paper, or in rare instances, metallic rolls. The rise of the player piano grew with the rise of the mass-produced piano for the home in...
, electric organ
Electric organ
In biology, the electric organ is an organ common to all electric fish used for the purposes of creating an electric field. The electric organ is derived from modified nerve or muscle tissue...
s & musical box
Musical box
A music box is a 19th century automatic musical instrument that produces sounds by the use of a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc so as to pluck the tuned teeth of a steel comb. They were developed from musical snuff boxes of the 18th century and called carillons à musique...
es".
Weather and Climate
The Forest of DeanForest 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...
has been known for warm summers and cold winters. Some of the extremes that have been recorded in Drybrook are 36.6°C in August 2005 and -14°C in January 2010. Snow and rain have also been a problem in the village: for example, in the winter of 2005, six inches of snow fell in a few hours, causing horrific traffic problems. And the Gloucestershire Floods of 2007 were also a major problem for the village too. The averages are pretty much normal for Drybrook as they would be for most of the south of England, but in the winter it may change as Drybrook is on higher ground than other towns and cities surrounding the area. For example, in January, the average low temperature in Drybrook is 3°C but in Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
the average low temperature is 7°C.