Redbrook was once an industrial hub hosting hundreds of years of manufacturing activity – including blast furnaces for copper and iron smelting, corn and paper mills and lastly, tinplate sheets. The industry relied on the two streams running through Lower and Upper Redbrook.

In Lower Redbrook, now Tinmans Green, the site was originally used for copper works and went onto ironwork at some point after 1791. In 1793 a co-partnership to manufacture tin plates was signed, although didn't begin until 1798. Redbrook was renowned across the world for producing exceptionally fine, thinly rolled tin. The Tinworks were a relatively late industrial addition, yet with the extension of this industry the village began to grow and houses were built for the workers, as well as several pubs, the Chapel on Chapel Lane Steps, and the Breweries. Much demand for the tin came from the United States where it was used for packing tobacco.

The works finally closed in 1961 and the demolition of the buildings followed. For more information about the industry in the Wye Valley visit www.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk/exploring-wye-valley-aonb/heritage/industrial-wye-valley/

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In the late 1990s Redbrook was developed into the village we see today. Tinmans Green was reinvented and now homes many families in the estate.