New home for Review archive

FOR more than 40 years, the Review has been reporting on, and photographing, life in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley.

Every week a copy of the paper is put away to become part of a unique archive that gives a fascinating glimpse of life in the area over five decades.

The archive has always been available for people to come into the offices of the Review and our sister paper The Forester in Hill Street, Lydney to browse, find information and make notes.

But following the recent closure of the office, a new home has been found for the archive with Cinderford Town Council having kindly agreed to store it alongside volumes of The Forester and an impressive range of other artefacts relating to the town’s history in the Cinderford Town Council Archive.

Liz Davies, the Wales and Border regional editor for Tindle Newspapers, which produces the Review and The Forester, thanked the town council for their assistance.

She said: “The Review archive provides a unique picture of life in the area and is an important resource for anyone with an interest in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley.

“We are very grateful to Cinderford Town Council and the volunteers who maintain the Cinderford Archive for their assistance which means back issues of the Review and The Forester will be available to the public under the same roof.”

The Review was first published in June 1982 and quickly established itself as a Forest institution with its quirky take on life in the Forest and its mix of serious and light news alongside columnists such as the acid-tongued Sally and Chewin’ the Cud with Fred.

The archive is also home to back issues of The Forester and it predecessors The Lydney Observer, the Coleford Guardian and the Dean Forest Mercury going back to 1874.

The archive also houses an wide range of other materials relating to Cinderford and the wider area including maps, books and even the town clock.

To find out more about the Cinderford Town Council Archive visit its Facebook page.