Coleford Mushet Celebration

About

In February 2022, Wyldwood Arts hosted a two-day celebration of industrial heritage in Coleford, with a focus on the legacy of the Mushet family.

In the first half of the 19th century, Coleford was at the heart of a revolution in the production of iron and steel, largely thanks to the work of father and son metallurgists, David and Robert Mushet.

This exciting programme of creative and cultural events, produced by Wyldwood Arts in association with Coleford Town Council, Foresters’ Forest, and Coleford Library, explored the significance and impact of this remarkable local family on the social and economic development of the Forest of Dean.

Links

Click the following link to discover: ‘Our Forest’ exhibition page

Click the following link for: ‘The Mushets’ on Vimeo (cinema version)

Partners

This project was supported by the Foresters’ Forest Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership Programme, Coleford Town Council, Coleford Library and The Lab, Coleford.

Event programme

‘The Mushets’ screening

The highlight of the programme was an exclusive premiere of The Mushets, a community audio drama produced by Wyldwood Arts as part of the Foresters’ Forest ‘Community Celebration’ programme.

This BSL-interpreted screening took place at Studio Cinema in Coleford and was followed by a Q&A with a panel of cast and crew, chaired by award-winning podcast producer and presenter Jo Durrant.

‘Spotlight on Heritage’ light installation

On the evening of the screening, Coleford’s famous clocktower and the ‘Men of Steel’ mural in Mushet Walk were lit up, alongside a montage of historical images and video projected onto nearby buildings to celebrate the social and industrial heritage of the Forest of Dean.

‘Our Forest’ multimedia exhibition

This pop-up exhibition, hosted by the Innovation Lab at Coleford Library, featured on-demand screening/streaming of podcasts, short films and other media related to the Mushets and/or produced as part of the Foresters’ Forest project; as well as drop-in audio recording workshops and an immersive audio pod featuring voice recordings from the Dean Heritage Centre Oral Histories Collection.

‘How the Mushets shaped the Forest’ talk

In this exclusive evening event hosted by Coleford Library, special guest speaker Dr Cherry Lewis revealed the fascinating story of how the industrial, social and physical landscape of the Forest of Dean was shaped by pioneering geological explorations led by the ‘Father of Iron and Steel’, David Mushet.

Selected items and archive material, including letters and objects from the ‘Mushet Collection’ held at the Dean Heritage Centre, were on display throughout the evening.

‘Inspired by Mushet’ guided poetry walks

Local history expert Ian Standing led guided tours of some of Coleford’s most iconic Mushet-related landmarks with participants on each walk, accompanied by a poet to facilitate creative reflection and encourage interpretation of the experience through poetry.