The Speech House is the administrative building of 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 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...

, lying at the centre of the forest on the road from 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...

 to 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....

.

The Speech House was authorised by the Act of 1668 as part of a reorganisation of the open land in the area, and its construction was finished in 1682. It hosted the "Court of the Speech", a sort of parliament for the Verderer

Verderer

Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown.-Origins:...

s and Free Miners managing the forest, game, and mineral resources of the area. It was severely damaged in the Revolution of 1688

Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...

, but repaired soon thereafter. Around 1840 it began to be used as an inn, and by the late 19th century it was functioning as an hotel, which it continues to do.

To the southeast of Speech House is a small lake, named Speech House Lake.