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Clearwell is a small village equidistant from Coleford and Newland. Nevertheless, it boasts two hotels, two public houses, a church, a chapel, a primary school and a castle (currently used as a wedding venue). The central point of the village is a cross erected in the 14th century. The village has an industrial past, and in 1608, it was noted that there were 22 tradesman and craftsmen in the village including 3 miners, 3 masons, 2 grindstone hewers, 2 nail makers and a lime burner.
The castle is the most significant buiding in the village. It was built in the 18th century in a gothic revival style, was known as Clearwell Court and until the end of the 19th century it was the home of the Wyndham family. It was owned by Caroline, Countess of Dunraven in the mid 1800s, who was known for philanthropic work, including at Clearwell, where she built the church, school and a hospital. In the 20th century is was re-named to a castle and changed hands a number of times. In the 1970s it was used as a recording studio by a number of rock bands and today it is one of the country's premier wedding venues.
Clearwell Caves, on the edge of the village, were formed by underground streams, and have been mined for iron ore, possibly as far back as Roman times. The Caves are open to the public and have been used for filming on a number of occasions, including for the television series, Merlin and Dr Who.
