Abenhall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abenhall is a small village in the English county of Gloucestershire, lying on the road between Mitcheldean and Flaxley in the Forest of Dean. The parish includes the settlement of Plump Hill, which is actually more populous than Abenhall itself, and was once part of the Westbury Hundred (known as Dene at the time of the Domesday book in 1086). Originally a mining and iron-making centre like much of the surrounding area, the village is notable for its 14th century Church of St Michael, which is built of local red sandstone and has ornate contemporary carvings relating to the Forest of Dean's principle industries. These include a shield bearing the arms of the Freeminers on the west wall and a mid-15th century octagonal font, that has tools of miners and metalworkers incised on its sides.