A FOREST freeminer has emerged from underground and will take his place atop Gloucester Cathedral.

The second of six new gargoyles installed on the cathedral’s north ambulatory roof will represent the Forest as part of a £500,000 restoration project. Each represents a different region of the county – Gloucester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Stroud, Cotswolds and the Forest – by reflecting local traditions and heritage.

A maquette (clay model) of the gargoyle ‘Freeminer’, sponsored by Westbury-based recycling firm PSW England Limited, was unveiled last week.

The gargoyle aims to demonstrate the dogged determination of the freeminers, pick-axing at the coal to provide for their families.

The maquette has been sculpted by the cathedral’s master mason, Pascal Mychalysin and over the next six months will be carved into stone.

Peter Watkins, Managing Director of PSW England Ltd said: “By the end of the Second World War half of the male population of the Forest of Dean worked in the pits.

“My grandfather Stanley Watkins worked as a miner at the Princess Royal Colliery in Bream before his premature death due to silicosis in November 1953 before I was born.

“I have a vivid childhood memory of waiting for the shift change at the Princess Royal pit where he had worked and hearing the thunder of boots on the road as the miners passed our house, their faces covered in soot.

“In memory of my grandfather and all the brave hard-working men and their families who worked in the pits of the Dean, my wife and I are privileged to be able to assist the cathedral in their renovation work”

The Very Rev Stephen Lake, Dean of Gloucester said: “What image could have better represented the proud independence of the Forest folks than that of a freeminer?

“Mining is a hugely significant part of the Forest of Dean’s industrial heritage and deeply connects communities and families to the region’s beautiful landscape.

“We are delighted to celebrate such an important part of the county’s story through the creation of the freeminer gargoyle.”

It’s only the second time in living history that new gargoyles have been created for Gloucester Cathedral.

Once completed, they will be installed high above the one of the oldest parts of the cathedral, enhancing one of the city skyline while ensuring the building remains watertight for generations to come.