As might be expected in such a vast and ancient place as the Royal Forest of Dean, there are many ruins, from Roman times onwards, to remind us of a vanished way of life. At Camp Hill Park, there are the remains of a Roman temple dedicated to a Celtic god. At St Briavels, which is a favourite place with visitors to the forest, there are the ruins of a fortified stronghold built in the 13th century as protection against Welsh marauders. Two round towers of the gatehouse are still standing. Here, too, is a Norman church which has been much restored.
   But David's principal inspiration for his Abbey Ruins came from the dramatically beautiful Tintern Abbey in the Wye Valley (the River Wye forms the western border of the forest). The Abbey, splendid even in decay, was the home of the Cistercian monks until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in the 16th century.