Down Ampney
Encyclopedia
Down Ampney is a medium-sized village located in Cotswold district
in Gloucestershire
, in England
.
It is off the A417 which runs between Cirencester
and Faringdon
(in Oxfordshire) on the A420, and about 5 km north of Cricklade
,
which is on the A419 which runs from Cirencester to Swindon
, Wiltshire
.
Down Ampney was notable in mediaeval times as one of the principal seats of the powerful Hungerford family (their principal seat was at Farleigh Hungerford
, Somerset
) and a number of elaborate family monuments survive in the village church.
The Old Vicarage in Down Ampney was the birthplace of Ralph Vaughan Williams
in 1872. A tune he composed (used for the hymn "Come Down, O Love Divine") is titled "Down Ampney" in its honour.
During World War II
, the airfield RAF Down Ampney
saw action, with planes flying to and from the runway whilst serving in the war. The church has a stained glass window in commemoration of the planes that flew from the airfield for the Battle of Arnhem, 1944.
Aside from the airfield, a school older than 150 years, a multi-use games area for younger residents, a tennis club, a village hall, a small village shop, and the church mentioned above, which evidently dates back to before the bubonic plague
, are also present in the current arrangement of the village.
Cotswold (district)
Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire in England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region. Its main town is Cirencester....
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is off the A417 which runs between Cirencester
Cirencester
Cirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
and Faringdon
Faringdon
Faringdon is a market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. It is on the edge of the Thames Valley, between the River Thames and the Ridgeway...
(in Oxfordshire) on the A420, and about 5 km north of Cricklade
Cricklade
Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire in England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester.On 25 September 2011 Cricklade was awarded The Royal Horticultural Society's 'Champion of Champions' award in the Britain in Bloom competition.Cricklade is twinned with...
,
which is on the A419 which runs from Cirencester to Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
Down Ampney was notable in mediaeval times as one of the principal seats of the powerful Hungerford family (their principal seat was at Farleigh Hungerford
Farleigh Hungerford
Farleigh Hungerford is a village within the civil parish of Norton St Philip in Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366, in the valley of the River Frome....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
) and a number of elaborate family monuments survive in the village church.
The Old Vicarage in Down Ampney was the birthplace of Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
in 1872. A tune he composed (used for the hymn "Come Down, O Love Divine") is titled "Down Ampney" in its honour.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the airfield RAF Down Ampney
RAF Down Ampney
RAF Down Ampney was a Royal Air Force station near Cricklade, Gloucestershire during World War II from February 1944 to February 1947.Down Ampney was part of a group of 3 airfields with RAF Broadwell and RAF Blakehill Farm dedicated to air transportation....
saw action, with planes flying to and from the runway whilst serving in the war. The church has a stained glass window in commemoration of the planes that flew from the airfield for the Battle of Arnhem, 1944.
Aside from the airfield, a school older than 150 years, a multi-use games area for younger residents, a tennis club, a village hall, a small village shop, and the church mentioned above, which evidently dates back to before the bubonic plague
Great Plague of London
The Great Plague was a massive outbreak of disease in the Kingdom of England that killed an estimated 100,000 people, 20% of London's population. The disease is identified as bubonic plague, an infection by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted through a flea vector...
, are also present in the current arrangement of the village.