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Bennet's Grove

Wood, Forest in Gloucestershire Forest of Dean

England

Bennet's Grove

View to The Severn, 1 From near The Haie, the whole of the Arlingham bend can be seen. Lush green spring pasture in between.
View to The Severn, 1 Credit: Jonathan Billinger

Bennet's Grove is a picturesque woodland located in Gloucestershire, England. Covering an area of approximately 50 acres, it is nestled in the heart of the county's enchanting Forest of Dean. The grove is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty, offering a tranquil escape for locals and visitors alike.

As one enters Bennet's Grove, they are greeted by a dense canopy of mature trees, predominantly composed of oak and beech. The towering giants create a serene atmosphere, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the peacefulness of nature. The woodland floor is blanketed with a vibrant carpet of ferns, wildflowers, and moss, adding to the grove's ethereal charm.

The grove is intersected by a meandering stream, which adds to the overall serenity of the location. The babbling brook is home to a variety of aquatic wildlife, including small fish and frogs, making it a delightful spot for nature enthusiasts to explore.

Bennet's Grove is also known for its diverse bird population, attracting avid birdwatchers throughout the year. The melodious songs of songbirds fill the air, providing a symphony of nature's music.

The grove offers several well-maintained walking trails, allowing visitors to explore its hidden treasures. These paths wind through the woodland, providing glimpses of ancient trees, enchanting glades, and secluded clearings, perfect for a peaceful picnic or a moment of solitude.

Bennet's Grove truly captures the essence of Gloucestershire's natural beauty, offering a sanctuary where visitors can connect with nature and escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

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Bennet's Grove Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 51.779882/-2.4663342 or Grid Reference SO6709. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

View to The Severn, 1 From near The Haie, the whole of the Arlingham bend can be seen. Lush green spring pasture in between.
View to The Severn, 1
From near The Haie, the whole of the Arlingham bend can be seen. Lush green spring pasture in between.
View to The Severn, 2 The Severn estuary seen from near The Haie. Lush spring pastures in the foreground.
View to The Severn, 2
The Severn estuary seen from near The Haie. Lush spring pastures in the foreground.
Farm building off the A48
Farm building off the A48
Grassland off the A48
Grassland off the A48
Lay-by on the A48 Towards Gloucester.
Lay-by on the A48
Towards Gloucester.
Railway trackbed at Soudley Taken from the site of Soudley No.1 crossing, a level crossing over a minor road between Haie Hill and Bradley Hill tunnels. The short stretch of line pictured here provided a welcome breath of fresh air for loco crews after struggling up the 1:56 gradient through Haie Hill tunnel, and before plunging into the shorter but steeper Bradley Hill tunnel, the Eastern portal of which is just out of sight behind the trees. Deceptively, given the bucolic nature of the location today, this was once a busy industrial site, featuring a tramway interchange, a loading dock (for the products of the nearby leather works, now the Dean Heritage Centre), an ironworks and a reasonably extensive network of sidings.
Railway trackbed at Soudley
Taken from the site of Soudley No.1 crossing, a level crossing over a minor road between Haie Hill and Bradley Hill tunnels. The short stretch of line pictured here provided a welcome breath of fresh air for loco crews after struggling up the 1:56 gradient through Haie Hill tunnel, and before plunging into the shorter but steeper Bradley Hill tunnel, the Eastern portal of which is just out of sight behind the trees. Deceptively, given the bucolic nature of the location today, this was once a busy industrial site, featuring a tramway interchange, a loading dock (for the products of the nearby leather works, now the Dean Heritage Centre), an ironworks and a reasonably extensive network of sidings.
Western portal of Haie Hill tunnel Haie Hill tunnel (sometimes Hay Hill) was completed in 1810 by the Bullo Pill Railway to carry their four foot gauge tramway under Haie Hill. The tramway tunnel, 1,083 yards long on opening in 1810, was at the time the longest tunnel in the world, although it lost 19 yards when it was enlarged for the Great Western's broad gauge in 1851 (a task Brunel described as "the most difficult task I have yet undertaken", as the tunnel remained open for traffic throughout). The tunnel was unpopular with loco crews, being on a rising gradient east to west of 1:56; it could take a train of empties five minutes to get through the tunnel, and within a few hundred yards of the portal pictured here, the train had to tackle the shorter but steeper 1:46 gradient of Bradley Hill tunnel. The line closed in 1967, the final death knell being sounded when Berry Wiggins moved their bitumen works from Whimsey, at the Cinderford end of the line, to Lydney. More pictures at <span class="nowrap"><a title="http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/tunnels/gallery/haiehill.html" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/tunnels/gallery/haiehill.html">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span>
Western portal of Haie Hill tunnel
Haie Hill tunnel (sometimes Hay Hill) was completed in 1810 by the Bullo Pill Railway to carry their four foot gauge tramway under Haie Hill. The tramway tunnel, 1,083 yards long on opening in 1810, was at the time the longest tunnel in the world, although it lost 19 yards when it was enlarged for the Great Western's broad gauge in 1851 (a task Brunel described as "the most difficult task I have yet undertaken", as the tunnel remained open for traffic throughout). The tunnel was unpopular with loco crews, being on a rising gradient east to west of 1:56; it could take a train of empties five minutes to get through the tunnel, and within a few hundred yards of the portal pictured here, the train had to tackle the shorter but steeper 1:46 gradient of Bradley Hill tunnel. The line closed in 1967, the final death knell being sounded when Berry Wiggins moved their bitumen works from Whimsey, at the Cinderford end of the line, to Lydney. More pictures at LinkExternal link
Farm track Looking at aerial pics of the area this track appears to have been built fairly recently. Taken from above the eastern portal of the long-disused Haie Hill railway tunnel.
Farm track
Looking at aerial pics of the area this track appears to have been built fairly recently. Taken from above the eastern portal of the long-disused Haie Hill railway tunnel.
The Haie Now in a striking shade of pink, the house was originally known as "Ruddle Manor" and was constructed by Rolyon Jones around 1770. Not a lot of the original house survives: it was largely rebuilt in the 1850s and renamed "Newnham Park". It was sold on after rebuilding and extended in the 1880s when it was renamed "The Haie", the name it retains to this day. It was converted into apartments (one of which is home to a noisy dog, as we discovered when we accidentally wandered down the drive!) after WWII. The original builder, Ronyon Jones, was one of the promoters of the Bullo Pill Railway Company, who constructed the Bullo Pill tramroad (which passed directly beneath the house in Haie Hill tunnel), and his son, upon inheriting the house and all his father's industrial interests including the tramroad, complained of the tunnel drawing off all the water from the springs which supplied the house. Which is ironic. The approach cutting to the tunnel is marked by the line of trees in the foreground: note the surviving railway fencing.
The Haie
Now in a striking shade of pink, the house was originally known as "Ruddle Manor" and was constructed by Rolyon Jones around 1770. Not a lot of the original house survives: it was largely rebuilt in the 1850s and renamed "Newnham Park". It was sold on after rebuilding and extended in the 1880s when it was renamed "The Haie", the name it retains to this day. It was converted into apartments (one of which is home to a noisy dog, as we discovered when we accidentally wandered down the drive!) after WWII. The original builder, Ronyon Jones, was one of the promoters of the Bullo Pill Railway Company, who constructed the Bullo Pill tramroad (which passed directly beneath the house in Haie Hill tunnel), and his son, upon inheriting the house and all his father's industrial interests including the tramroad, complained of the tunnel drawing off all the water from the springs which supplied the house. Which is ironic. The approach cutting to the tunnel is marked by the line of trees in the foreground: note the surviving railway fencing.
Old level crossing gatepost Even I cannot pretend that this is not quite a dull subject! Nonetheless, this is the only remaining gatepost of Soudley No.1 level crossing, which carried the GWR's Forest of Dean branch over a minor road in between Haie Hill and Bradley Hill tunnels. Haie Hill tunnel's western portal is hidden behind the post.
Old level crossing gatepost
Even I cannot pretend that this is not quite a dull subject! Nonetheless, this is the only remaining gatepost of Soudley No.1 level crossing, which carried the GWR's Forest of Dean branch over a minor road in between Haie Hill and Bradley Hill tunnels. Haie Hill tunnel's western portal is hidden behind the post.
Bradley Hill tunnel, eastern portal Not an easy one to photograph, this: I had to walk a few hundred yards up a busy main road then wade through waist-deep nettles to get this shot! Bradley Hill tunnel was opened in 1854 when the GWR converted the Bullo Pill tramroad into a real railway. The tramroad had skirted Bradley Hill, on the route now used by the Blakeney - Cinderford road, but the railway burrowed through instead. The tunnel was not popular with steam-era loco crews, not only being on a rising gradient (east to west) of 1 in 46, but also being on a curve which restricted ventilation. Add to that the fact that trains plunged into it only a few hundred yards after exiting the much longer Haie Hill tunnel, and you have a recipe for asphyxiation. See <span class="nowrap"><a title="http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/tunnels/bradleyhill.html" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" href="http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/tunnels/bradleyhill.html">Link</a><img style="margin-left:2px;" alt="External link" title="External link - shift click to open in new window" src="https://s1.geograph.org.uk/img/external.png" width="10" height="10"/></span> for a fireman's account of travelling through the tunnel on a struggling steam locomotive in 1964.
Bradley Hill tunnel, eastern portal
Not an easy one to photograph, this: I had to walk a few hundred yards up a busy main road then wade through waist-deep nettles to get this shot! Bradley Hill tunnel was opened in 1854 when the GWR converted the Bullo Pill tramroad into a real railway. The tramroad had skirted Bradley Hill, on the route now used by the Blakeney - Cinderford road, but the railway burrowed through instead. The tunnel was not popular with steam-era loco crews, not only being on a rising gradient (east to west) of 1 in 46, but also being on a curve which restricted ventilation. Add to that the fact that trains plunged into it only a few hundred yards after exiting the much longer Haie Hill tunnel, and you have a recipe for asphyxiation. See LinkExternal link for a fireman's account of travelling through the tunnel on a struggling steam locomotive in 1964.
Great Western boundary marker An old GWR boundary marker in the grass, near Tump House at Soudley. This is some way from where the GWR's Forest of Dean branch ran, but is at the edge of the land once occupied by the tramway serving Soudley Iron Works, which had ceased production in 1877. I wonder if the GWR also owned the tramway route? Detail of a similar boundary post, up the line near Ruspidge, can be seen at <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6500361">SO6511 : Great Western boundary post detail</a>.
Great Western boundary marker
An old GWR boundary marker in the grass, near Tump House at Soudley. This is some way from where the GWR's Forest of Dean branch ran, but is at the edge of the land once occupied by the tramway serving Soudley Iron Works, which had ceased production in 1877. I wonder if the GWR also owned the tramway route? Detail of a similar boundary post, up the line near Ruspidge, can be seen at SO6511 : Great Western boundary post detail.
Tramway route at Soudley iron works Now a bridleway, this was once the route of a tramway serving Soudley iron works. Iron making was a pretty fickle business, with the works changing hands many times before ceasing production in 1877. Most of the buildings were cleared in 1899, but the tramway is marked on the 1914 map. The stone building to the right is part of the old iron works. The tramway route is now a bridleway. The presence of a GWR boundary marker post in the grass some distance down the tramway route suggests that the tramway may have been included in the agreement for the GWR to purchase the Bullo Pill tramway and convert it to a railway.
Tramway route at Soudley iron works
Now a bridleway, this was once the route of a tramway serving Soudley iron works. Iron making was a pretty fickle business, with the works changing hands many times before ceasing production in 1877. Most of the buildings were cleared in 1899, but the tramway is marked on the 1914 map. The stone building to the right is part of the old iron works. The tramway route is now a bridleway. The presence of a GWR boundary marker post in the grass some distance down the tramway route suggests that the tramway may have been included in the agreement for the GWR to purchase the Bullo Pill tramway and convert it to a railway.
Track and solar farm The Bushy Hill solar farm can be seen as a block of grey in the distance.
Track and solar farm
The Bushy Hill solar farm can be seen as a block of grey in the distance.
Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill On Gloucestershire footpath DAW37 at Hewell's Farm, Cinderford Road. This looks West to road, the view East is <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7301708">SO6607 : Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill</a>.
Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill
On Gloucestershire footpath DAW37 at Hewell's Farm, Cinderford Road. This looks West to road, the view East is SO6607 : Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill.
Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill On Gloucestershire footpath DAW37 at Hewell's Farm, Cinderford Road. This looks East, the view to the road is <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7301707">SO6607 : Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill</a>.
Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill
On Gloucestershire footpath DAW37 at Hewell's Farm, Cinderford Road. This looks East, the view to the road is SO6607 : Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill.
Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill On Gloucestershire footpaths DAW38 & DAW39 from Cinderford Road opposite Hewell's Farm looking from the road. The view looking to the road is <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7301717">SO6607 : Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill</a>.
Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill
On Gloucestershire footpaths DAW38 & DAW39 from Cinderford Road opposite Hewell's Farm looking from the road. The view looking to the road is SO6607 : Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill.
Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill On Gloucestershire footpaths DAW38 & DAW39 from Cinderford Road, looking towards Hewell's Farm. The view from the road is <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7301715">SO6607 : Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill</a>.
Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill
On Gloucestershire footpaths DAW38 & DAW39 from Cinderford Road, looking towards Hewell's Farm. The view from the road is SO6607 : Stone Stile, Blakeney Hill.
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Bennet's Grove is located at Grid Ref: SO6709 (Lat: 51.779882, Lng: -2.4663342)

Administrative County: Gloucestershire

District: Forest of Dean

Police Authority: Gloucestershire

What 3 Words

///crusher.overused.packing. Near Cinderford, Gloucestershire

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The data included in this document is from www.openstreetmap.org. The data is made available under ODbL.
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