broadwell (General)
by doran54 
, neath glamorgan, Monday, April 07, 2014, 17:10 (3877 days ago)
I took a trip to coleford today then tried to find broadwell lane end where family were living,, I asked several people where lane end was and to my disappointment no one could tell me! does it still exist?
broadwell
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Monday, April 07, 2014, 17:37 (3877 days ago) @ doran54
Hi again Doran, sorry you've had a disappointing trip, I hope it wasn't completely wasted (were you visiting Christchurch graveyard ?). I'm afraid this is another instance where searching this forum and the main website would have answered your question, please see this old thread for example, the forum search box is at top righthand of the screen. One of your earlier posts also gave a reply about the many old maps available within this site, from the top many bar, this one clearly marks Broadwell lane End.
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/index.php/resources/15-maps/98-forest-of-dean-west-circa-...
Broadwell Lane End is essentially the old name for the hamlet of Broadwell, but as you say most locals probably wouldn't recognise it, altho they might well have done at Forest Bookshop in Coleford centre, or Local Studies Centre at Cinderford library.
As this thread details, the "Lane End" term refers to days when it was at the "Broadwell End" of the "Lane" out from Coleford town centre towards Speech House/Cinderford. Similarly neighbouring "Coalway Lane End", nowadays more or less invisibly linked to Coleford.
http://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=41632
As I've suggested before, I know I'm biased as I've always liked studying close-scale Ordnance Survey maps, but in my honest opinion a good map is an essential item when visiting any area of the world, especially for FH research where the old maps can be even be visualised into a "virtual" visit. This can be done using the various old map sites referenced in the above thread.
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/index.php/resources/15-maps/98-forest-of-dean-west-circa-...
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Another superb FH research source are the old Trade Directories, as well as listing local people in great detail, they often give descriptions of the area concerned. In this instance searching the internet gives this example
"BROADWELL LANE END, COALWAY LANE END, LITTLEDEAN LANE END, and MITCHELDEAN LANE END form a hamlet, partly in Christ Church district, and partly in St. Paul's. There is a good National School here, erected in 1864, with a house for the master, it is in connection with Christ Church, and divine service is held in it every Sunday."
Extracted from:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cbennett/westdean1876.htm
Many other local Directories here http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cbennett/index.htm
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/index.php/resources/kelly-s-directory-1879
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Alternatively just general searching tinternet gives several modern hits suggesting Broadwell Lane End is still used as a postal address,
eg (if it's still open) the local Post Office, such website entries often have helpful maps too.
http://www.shops2b.co.uk/shop/post-office-broadwell-lane-end-coleford/
And the sadly now closed Bird in Hand pub was at Broadwell Lane End, it's now apparently "the Salvation Army HG for the FoD". Most locals will know where that is.
http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/bird-in-hand-coleford
broadwell
by doran54 , neath glamorgan, Monday, April 07, 2014, 19:41 (3877 days ago) @ Jefff
thanks jefff, next time I had better be more prepared , and also study the links for more info
broadwell
by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Tuesday, April 08, 2014, 14:59 (3876 days ago) @ doran54
No problem Doran. As said earlier, I hope your trip wasn't entirely wasted and am really pleased to hear you intend visiting again, please keep us updated as it's always nice to hear about forum members successes in their researches.
Hopefully the weather will continue to improve, if you can I suggest visits in early July or early September, so cunningly missing the school holidays and the associated rain ! and the toruist crowds. If you care to search this forum there have been several threads in the past wrt suggested places to visit or stay in the Dean, just search "tourism" and the like.
Meanwhile, did you have any specific part of Broadwell you were trying to find, a house perhaps ?. One way of trying to find a specific location on a Census form, say, when it's not so obvious such as in the sprawling forest hamlets (unlike with numbers on a town's street, say) is to study the Census form and look at the houses immediately preceding and following "yours", ideally using a close scale OS map (www.old-maps.co.uk) which often name individual properties. The details for the households on a census form were probably collected by one official who would invariably have followed the shortest logical route to cover his patch, often on foot. Some of the addresses on the form might be more obvious to identify nowadays (pub, vicarage, farm, etc) than others, especially in those days when many properties were identified by the householder's name rather than a house name, number or postcode.
Re your Broadwell search, if you're trying to pinpoint a particular address or place and we cannot help on the forum, I may be able to help as my sister lives in nearby Coalway, given sufficient guidance and time from you she might be able to do some groundwork for you. Similarly there are other forum users who might be able to advise, especially now the weather's more conducive to a spring walk.
Jeff
broadwell
by Daffodil , Gloucestershire, Thursday, May 01, 2014, 03:29 (3854 days ago) @ Jefff
Some of my own family came from Broadwell too.
I live in the Forest and would be happy to help (if I can) those who cannot get here easily. Please contact me on the forum initially.
Daffodil
broadwell
by Suzie , Forest of Dean, Sunday, October 11, 2020, 00:54 (1499 days ago) @ doran54
Hi doran54
The name of the ex-Post Office in Broadwell was known as Broadwell Lane End Post Office. The building is still there and is right near the crossroads in Broadwell. The four roads that make up that junction are North Road, South Road, Poolway Road and Speech House Road. The ex-Post Office is No 2 and I am sure that there are photographs on various websites which will give you a better idea of what it looks like if you should come this way again.
Good Luck
Suzie