Lydney is a town in the Forest of Dean, on the West bank of the river Severn. Settlement in the area dates back to the Iron Age, a fort was built in the area. Later on the Romans built a temple on the site. The Saxons later built a settlement at Lydney which by the time of the Domesday Book was known as Ledenei.
Located on the Severn, Lydney later gained docks to capitalise on the river trade. A railway bridge crossing the Severn was built near Lydney in 1870, the bridge was damaged beyond repair after being struck by oil tankers in 1960. Lydney railway station opened in 1851, one of a number of stations in the area. Another of these stations, Lydney Junction, is now the Southern terminus of the Dean Forest preserved railway.
The parish church dedicated to St Mary dates from the 13th century though most of the current church dates from the start of the 16th.
