Edwin Jones shop at 109 Lower High Street Cinderford (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Tuesday, September 25, 2012, 16:14 (4445 days ago) @ unknown

Good afternoon Sheila, I hope its not too wet & windy where you are, Zummerzet I think, I was rather shocked to hear Steam Mills near Cinderford was briefly mentioned on BBC Radio wrt floodng today !

Re Haines etc it looks like we've gone full circle(cycle?!) which is always good, glad your new references backup the earlier thinking.
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=35499

Sadly this FoDFH site doesn't contain any old photos of the small group of shops in the Lower High Street that you mention, I recall MANY trips to Haines' in my childhood (push bike fixing!) not to mention the sub Post Office which I think was next door, so very much in my "radar" in this respect. In fact I don't recall ever seeing any photos in my various old photo books or other websites, altho if no-one else finds any I'll dig out my books later tonight and try again.
The nearest photo on this website to Haines is the Severn Stars pub, see below.
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/gallery/cinderford/pages/page_62.html

The pub was (building still the same) abt 100 yards further down and on t'other side of the L.High Street, the photo is taken from Haynes' pavement side. The road to the right of the pub is Seven Stars Road leading off the L.High Street, I was born a few yards away down this Road (NOT in the pub! contrary to popular belief).

I'm pleased to see that Haines are still there and trading, a pleasant surprise as the busy town I grewup in is in sad decline in some ways. Perhaps if you contact them they may well have a period photo they can email you ?
http://www.hainesmc.co.uk/who_are_we/
NB: I see that Haines is nowadays number 125, when & whether the street was renumbered following Edwin's day I do not know.

Here's a recent photo of Haines c/o Streetmap, if you click this link, then follow the page down to the small photo on right. Click "fullscreen" and it opens nice and clear. You're looking down the High Street past Haines towards Abbotswood Garage (now just petrol) in the background on the right, at the turning into Springfield Drive, this is more or less opposite the aforementioned Seven Stars Road.
http://www.cylex-uk.co.uk/company/haines---co-16196977.html

As a kid I always wondered about the "main" yet under-used road which meets the High Street just down below Haines in this picture and to the left. This road is unusually straight & level, raised-up compared to the old cottages below it. This is so as it was the route for the very old tramway then railway, it actually crossed the High Street and entered the woods (& pits) up behind Haines. If you navigate the arrows etc on the photo image you can "move" down the High Street to look down this road if you wish. Alternatively you can "rotate" the image view and travel up the High Street towards the long closed Globe pub, setback on the left, then on upto the town centre which you'll recognise from the old photos on this site.
(NB: if you use the Google map link from the Hainse homepage, as they kindly point out the map labelling is wrong wrt buildings, what is labelled as Seven Stars pub is actually Abbotswood Garage, for example).

The relatively new "posh"(my mate lived there) housing estate that is Springfield Drive moreorless follows these old routes out of town towards Steam Mills, across the playing fields. These routes predate the existing main road and apparently go back to the days folk from Cinderford(then called Bilson/Woodside/Dockham) walked and rode alongside the edge of the woods out past Steam Mills to the "Forest" church at Harrow Hill.

Hope this helps, Jeff.