Written by Ian Pope and Paul Karau this is the first in a series of books which document the history and lines of the Severn & Wye Railway in the Forest of Dean.
This book is the first of a series sets out to cover not only the railway network itself, but to place it in its proper context against the transition of the area from a medieval Royal hunting ground, supplying timber for the great naval fleets in the days of sail, through to a centre of industrial activity based on the local coal and iron ore deposits. The history of the Severn & Wye and Severn Bridge Railway is traced in detail from its inception as a horse-drawn tramway, through its conversion into a fully-fledged railway network and the later takeover by the Great Western and Midland Railways.
The southern section of the line from the junction with the Great Western at Lydney to the once great industrial centre of Parkend is then covered in great detail, with particular emphasis on the railway connected industries which were the lifeblood of the railway system.